Jasmine Scented Dreams
by KairaKi
Summary: Neji had always condemned kissing.He had told her it led to babies and Neji was always right.However, Hinata knew that babies were not actually conceived through kissing but what came after kissing,therefore the logical place to start was kissing.SasuHina
1. Chapter 1

**KairaKi: **_I just finished revising and editing this chapter to my liking today, right after having posted that it wasn't ready to be unveiled to the general public... Lol, well, here you have it; the story that has been the main focus of my attention lately._

**R&R**

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Chapter 1: Dream of **A**zure Skies: Fiancé and Husband

The sky was a bright shade of cyan blue, with no clouds to hide its intense color. The sun was a single hole in the sky with light pouring through, burning everything it touched. All in all it was an extremely hot, dry, Konoha summer. It was the kind of day where everyone stayed inside with their air conditioning turned up high. The kind of day where places that actually had air conditioning was packed. It was the kind of day where you could burn an egg on the sidewalk in less than five seconds without even cracking it open. Only idiots would be outside during high noon in this heat. Then again if you were a Konoha shinobi you had to be out rain, sleet, hail, or even intense heat. Even the heiress of the esteemed Hyuuga clan was no different.

Hyuuga Hinata had been training non-stop since that same morning, her work out getting more intense as the sun rose, and each article of useless, heat absorbing, clothing was discarded, until she was wearing nothing but fishnet with shorts and a skin hugging white undershirt. Normally Hinata would not dare train in the publics' eye with such attire on, she was still seen with a giant hooded jacket most of the time, even during the warmer days, but today she could care less.

Tomorrow she was getting married, she had the right to try and kill herself of dehydration and heat stroke before she got hooked. Okay, maybe that wasn't the point; maybe it was something deeper... Something on an emotional level, like her father informing her that she may be free from the Hyuuga if she became a wife (under his proposals) exactly one month ago, or maybe it was the way everything seemed to be so damn _suffocating_!

Hot. That was how the weather had been ever since her father told her of the arranged marriage (she still didn't know who it was, just that she had to have her emotions properly schooled for the ceremony), and she hated it. The soft thudding of her hands hitting the post and the soft crackle of splintering wood became faded in her mind as she recalled the scene a month ago. It was a day just like today, hot, with no clouds, and no other life forms besides shinobi wandering the streets.

* * *

"_Hinata-sama, your father requests your presence in the garden tearoom." A branch member, one of the few not trained as a shinobi, bowed low behind the screen door. Even with the object blocking her view of the other Hyuuga, Hinata could recognize the voice as belonging to a Hyuuga Aiko, a mother and wife to a family of three decent Hyuuga shinobi. _

"_Thank you, Aiko-san, I will go to him immediately." _

_There was a rustle of clothing as Hinata stood up. Aiko slid the door open and shuffled to the side as Hinata exited. Her head was bowed and the signature dark brown Hyuuga hair that crowned her brushed the wooden floors lightly._

* * *

_Hinata mimicked Aiko's earlier position when she reached the tearoom, only this time, instead of scooting to the side; Hinata shuffled into the room and closed the door behind her. Her father was calmly setting out the tea as he waited for his daughter to be seated. _

_With practiced motion Hinata poured her father a cup of steaming tea, waiting for him to drink before filling her own cup as tradition dictated. _

"_You are a young lady now, Hinata." Hiashi commented off-handedly as his daughter refilled his cup after the stifling silence. "You are almost ready to take over the Clan."_

_Hinata inclined her head, "Hai, Otou-sama." _

"_You were present at the last Council meeting, you understood what was discussed, correct?" Hiashi placed the cup on the table with a solid thunk. Hinata made no move to refill it. _

"_Hai, Otou-sama." _

"_Then you understand that once you take power your sister will be branded with the Seal." Hinata glanced at her father's expression but found that he was as stone faced as ever. "You do remember that you were engaged to the son of Konoha's Kurosu clan, and that your wedding date is set for the fall of next year?" _

_Hinata nodded again. The engagement had been set for two years; she had been continuously meeting with her __fiancé_ _since then. She found Kurosu Hiroyuki to be lively and a bit single minded, but decent overall. The Kurosu clan was known for their rare genetic mutation in their chakra system, this mutation allowed for an nearly unlimited reserve of chakra (Hinata was unsure of the aspects of such a mutation, but she had been informed that the mutation was a dominant gene that would be sure to carry over to the offspring of a clan member and a person without said mutation), that her father seemed keenly interested in. _

"_You do not want Hanabi to become part of the Branch house." It was a statement. "I have a proposal for you." Hiashi was never one to beat around the bush when unnecessary. "Hanabi will take your place as heir to the clan and be engaged to your current __fiancé__, and you instead will marry another... suitor." _

_Hinata felt her heart speed up. "What are the effects of your proposal, Otou-sama?" She questioned. Inside she was bursting with joy at the thought that her sister may have a chance to remain in the Main family._

_A ghost of a smile graced Hiashi's features at his daughter's diplomatic response. "Your new fiancé will remain unknown until the day before the wedding. Your offspring will be spared from the Clan, unless of course, your child should hold the Byakugan, in that case some counter measures must be taken to insure that he or she will no become a _liability _to the Clan's bloodline. Hanabi, in this circumstance, will become Clan head, and take up your current duties." _

_Hinata refilled her father's empty cup. "I agree to your proposal."_

* * *

After that they had worked out a few kinks in the arrangement, and then announced it to the Council two weeks later. Now here she was trying to kill herself through training. She had the answer now though; it was a case of cold feet. No matter how much she tried, Hinata could not find it in herself to regret the decision. Hanabi had been out right shocked and Neji seemed a bit surprised, and all the Elders had been slightly outraged at the fact that their current Head had not informed them of his decision.

"Hinata-sama."

Neji always spoke in low tones with her, never raising his voice against her. Hinata attributed it to his guilt over the injury he had given her so long ago; she didn't understand the guilt, she had forgiven him... "Nii-san," Hinata greeted back with a careless smile.

She was sweaty and covered in dirt and cuts and was holding a weapon in hand, but to Neji, his cousin seemed more like a china-doll now than ever. "Hiashi-sama requests your presence to meet your husband to be." He had paused at husband; he was still fuming at the arrangement for reasons unknown to Hinata.

"Ah." Hinata looked at the shruiken strewn about the grass. They were used first as firing utensils, now they were just there to mimic a battlefield strewn with bodies. She had to watch her step whenever she moved while remaining concentrated on the task at hand; it was annoying, but useful for her training. "Thank you, Neji-nii-san." A simple seal made the shruiken vanish back into their summoning scroll, and a few quick fluid movements allowed Hinata to gather her discarded clothing.

All the while Neji waited patiently.

"Okay, I'm ready Neji-nii-san, shall we go now?" Hinata said facing her taller, stronger, cousin-- her Protector, though today was his last day, tomorrow he would officially be assigned to Hanabi in a joint ceremony. It would feel odd, knowing that there was no one watching her when she went out. No one appearing by her side at a moment's notice, no one tailing her and no one to playfully 'run' from (she never got far anyway).

Neji nodded and waited for Hinata to lead. He always did walk half a step behind her when they weren't on missions.

* * *

Hinata sat across from her father and her husband-to-be; Hanabi sat to one side of her while Neji stood guard on the other side, at the door. She wanted to retract the proposal right then and there, and no doubt Neji wanted her to do the same. Hanabi, however, was harder to read, she seamed slightly amused and a bit worried.

Uchiha Sasuke.

She was about to become Uchiha Hinata, and it didn't have a bad ring to it either. Her father was really good; there was no way she could retract her agreement so close to the wedding date, and there was no way she could mess up during the ceremony now. The silence was beginning to border on unbearable. Hanabi began shifting nervously in her seat. Hinata remained stone still.

"Hinata, meet your husband-to-be." Hiashi said, "Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke gave a half bow appropriate for his station, which Hinata returned it.

"Otou-sama what are-- is the reason for-- behind this bu--this arrangement?" Hanabi asked, stubbornly correcting herself when her normal speaking habits broke into the delicately rehearsed diplomatic question.

Hiashi nodded his approval at Hanabi's choice of words. They were not at Hinata's level of diplomacy, but she was making progress. "It is an enactment on an old promise, so to speak, made by myself and the previous head of the Uchiha clan some years ago."

Hanabi opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to it by her sister as she tried to formulate an appropriate response. "May we inquire the nature of this promise, Otou-sama?"

Hiashi paused a while to gather the collect words to express the idea behind the promise. "The unity of the two Clans, so to speak, to help with relations, not necessarily to become one, but to reach an understanding." He answered.

Sasuke turned his head to the side and from what Hinata could make out he was frowning. He turned again, suddenly, and caught her eye. Something in his gaze made her blush, and her heart beat faster -- in fear? --, forcing her to look away.

"Neji, escort Hanabi out to her meeting with Kurosu-san." Hiashi ordered.

Neji bowed in submission. "Hanabi-sama?" Neji bowed towards Hanabi.

Hanabi stood slowly, stubbornly trying to mimic Hinata's usual graceful exit. Neji waited patiently, like he usually did with Hinata, and he opened the door for Hanabi before waiting for her to lead; he stayed two steps behind her.

"Now onto other matters of importance," Hiashi pulled out a scroll from under the table. "The rituals for the ceremony..."

* * *

Sakura was pasing around the base of the tree, biting her thumb, and muttering words under her breath when Ino Shikamaru, and Chouji stumbled on two of the Team 7 members. Naruto was lazing about but the worried look on his face wasn't lost to the trio.

"Yo, Forehead Girl, what's wrong with you?" Ino called out tauntingly. Behind her Shikamaru muttered something about invading other people's privacy.

"S-Sasuke-kun is getting _married_ tomorrow!" Sakura cried out shrilly. "Married!" It was a well known fact that even after all these years Haruno Sakura still harbored something akin to love for the lone Uchiha.

Ino found herself frowning in thought. She had long given up her pathetic childhood crush on Sasuke, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous and a whole lot of surprise. "Married?" She asked. "To who?"

"Sasuke-teme is getting married to Hinata-chan!" Naruto answered from his place by the tree.

"Hinata-chan?" Ino said the name; not really understanding who this 'Hinata' was until. "You mean our Hinata-chan? Hyuuga Hinata-chan? Rookie Nine Hinata-chan?" Her tone was disbelieving. How had this come about and without her knowing? Shikamaru muttered something about clan policies and not butting into other people's business but Ino ignored him. "When did this happen?"

Sakura fished something out of her pockets and shoved it in Ino's face. "Look at this! Look at it!" Ino grabbed the invitation and took a step back from the frantic girl.

* * *

**YOU HAVE BEEN FORMALLY INVITED TO THE WEDDING OF**

**Hyuuga Hinata-sama**

**Uchiha Sasuke-sama**

_**You have been formally invited to my daughter, Hyuuga Hinata's, wedding to Uchiha Sasuke.**_

_**The ceremony will take place at the Hyuuga compound tomorrow at the assigned time below. **_

_**We wish that you will attend this momentous occasion and celebrate with us as we unite two clans. **_

_**--Hyuuga Hiashi**_

* * *

Ino looked over the invitation with obvious interest. It was simple, but elegant, and obviously hand written by the Head of Hyuuga, which meant that it was something very important to the Hyuuga clan. "Hinata-chan's lucky then." Ino said throwing the invitation back at Sakura.

Sakura caught it without trouble and glared at Ino. The expression was wiped off her face when the pink haired girl's notice someone walking towards them. "Sasuke-kun!" Ignoring Naruto's yells Sakura rushed off to face her 'one true love'.

Ino turned to look at her teammates thoughtfully. "I wonder if we got invitations?"

"How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed as Ino dragged him and Chouji back to her house to check. Chouji nodded in agreement.

"Sasuke-kun this is a joke right? You aren't really getting married, right?" Sakura asked. She was blocking his path home, not allowing him to pass until he answered her question.

"Hai." He answered in a bored tone. "Hinata-san and I hope you can attend our wedding tomorrow."

Sakura seemed to crumble before him. "Why? Why her?"

"SASUKE-TEME HOW DARE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF POOR HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled, he tried to tackle Sasuke, but the dark hair boy merely sidestepped the attack.

"Clan business. You two wouldn't understand." Sasuke muttered before walking away. Sakura watched, her heart broken, and the last of her dreams shattered. She would never become Uchiha Sakura now.

"C'mon Sakura-chan, let's get something to eat. Forget about Sasuke-teme." Naruto offered seeing the hurt look in his female companion's face.

"No, Naruto, I think I'll go home." Sakura said dazedly.

Naruto watched, a pained expression on his face, as Sakura walked away. "Stupid Teme."

* * *

Neji observed Hanabi from afar as she interacted with Kurosu Hiroyuki. The two's relationship was different from Hinata's relationship with the boy, much different. Though Hiroyuki was only three years older than Hinata, he was exactly eight years older than Hanabi, something that was not lost to the younger girl (Neji had caught her muttering to herself about being married to an old man), but he treated her like his equal. It may have had to do with Hinata warning him about Hanabi's volatile temper (angering the young girl could bring down the wrath of a million fire ball suns, when that happened even Hiashi and the Elders could only watch in fear) or the fact that Hiroyuki really liked Hanabi.

Neji suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at Hanabi's disastrous attempt at mimicking a graceful, demure, young lady. Hiroyuki seemed to find the act hilarious since he took his chances with baiting her in hopes of breaking her imperfect act. Neji would late report back to Hinata that she had nothing to fear about Hanabi's relationship with Hiroyuki; it would be one thing less his cousin would have to worry about. In the distance Hiroyuki leaned forward towards Hanabi. Neji frowned, it was time to act like the stuffy Protector he was (or maybe the other boy's new bodyguard if Hanabi caught on fast enough).

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**KairaKi:**_I hope I got most of the grammar mistakes out. If you're confused about anything feel free to ask. I will be more than happy to explain! Ah, you can never get tired of the "Forced Marriage" aspect of the SasuHina fandom... at least not until you read the enough stories that have the exact same plot. I hope that this story won't become too "overdone"._

**R&R**

**Read and Review**

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	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Dream of **B**lossoming Hope: Marriage_

Hinata never wanted to go through the horror of marriage ever again. It was one thing if you were marrying the man of your dreams, and he happened to be one Uchiha Sasuke, but it was another to marry THE Uchiha Sasuke when you were obviously NOT infatuated with him. Colorless white eyes blankly watched the ceremony and Hinata felt her resolution waver. Beside her she could feel Sasuke stiffen. He was probably scowling at the unabashed staring and muttering. Hesitantly Hinata let her hand brush over his, a truce, a treaty, a promise. Sasuke glanced at her, the scowl disappeared in it's place was a neutral upturning of the lips. They were in this together, him for the restoration of his Clan, and her for Hanabi's future. Gods, the things she did for her family.

In the back of the room, closes to the door, stood Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. They were attending the private wedding ceremony as Sasuke's family. All three were honor to be able to witness the ceremony; it showed just how much Sasuke really cared for them under that unforgiving mask. Sakura was trying her best to pick up the broken pieces of her heart as she watched Hinata casually brush Sasuke's hand and smile up at him. To her it was an action of love, and since Sasuke's frown disappeared and his face remained unfathomably blank, Sakura took it as a sign that he returned the affections.

When the ceremony ended they were all ushered into the garden where the reception was to be held. Sasuke and Hinata exited out of a different door, together.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto made a move to go comfort her, but Kakashi held him back with a shake of his head.

"She needs to come to terms with this on her own." He said. Naruto looked downcast, but obeyed his old sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-san, Naruto." Neji greeted the three with a nod of his head. "How are you?"

"Ah, Neji." Naruto said, looking slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Neji looked at the younger boy with well-hidden amusement. "I belong to Hinata-sama, of course I should be here." He said.

Sakura blushed at the choice of words; Kakashi drooled as he was hit by a rather disturbing image, while Naruto looked confused. "Hinata-chan _owns_ you?"

Neji raised an aristocratic brow at the question. "Yes. Hinata-sama's will is my command." At this point Kakashi was hyperventilating due to the sudden sexually explicit images bombarding his mind. It was Icha Icha Paradise volume four all over again. "It is my duty to obey her."

"I don't get it." Was Naruto's reply.

"I did not expect you to." Neji almost smiled. "If you will excuse me, I must attend to Hinata-sama now." By now Kakashi was spazzing out and Sakura was busy dragging the Jounin away from the 'awkward' conversation. Her face was beet red as she walked away, leaving Naruto and Neji alone.

"O-okay." Naruto said confused. "Tell Hinata-chan I said hey and if you see Sasuke-teme punch him for me will ya?"

Neji nodded. "I'll be sure to tell Hinata-sama that, and I will try to fulfill your other request." With an elegant gesture Neji left.

Seeing that the older boy was gone Sakura and Kakashi return, no longer beet red or hyperventilating. "It looks like Neji-kun's happy about something." Sakura commented.

"Saa, look underneath the underneath." Kakashi replied.

* * *

As a gift to her few aunts (from her mother's side) Hinata allowed them to choose the outfits she was required to change into during the reception. There were four of them, perfect because now she could have a different dress for every half hour. Nimbly they removed her _shiromuku_, and replaced it with a _kofurisode_ its sleeves were short, to save her the hassle of holding them while she ate. She thanked her aunts gracefully before Neji led her out to meet Sasuke, who was now dressed in a formal black dress shirt, with the first few buttons undone, and formal, black dress pants, with black shoes. Hinata could see his family crest sewn neatly on the back of his shirt, and on the hem of his pants. It seemed everything he wore had his family crest on it.

"Sasuke-san." Hinata greeted, taking the offered arm.

"Hinata-san." Sasuke replied back respectfully. He didn't comment on her clothing, or on her longer hair (when they met the other day it was barely to her shoulder) that cascaded down her back to her ankles in a careless fashion.

"Neji-nii-san." Hinata smiled at her cousin. Neji inclined his head to show he got the greeting before escorting the couple out to the garden.

**(A/N: _shiromuku_: white kimono; _kofurisode_: a type of _furisode_ (kimono) with sleeves that are only 75 cm long)**

* * *

The Hyuuga compound was as beautiful as the rumors. Hardly anyone had ever entered the prestigious establishment in the last ten years besides ANBU and the Hyuuga members, and the people relished in the opportunity to see the lovely compound for themselves. While the scenery was beautiful, the food was absolutely delicious; it was edible heaven, as Chouji put it.

"Hinata-chan looks so kawaii!" Kiba commented between bites. "She doesn't look that unhappy, right Akamaru?" His giant companion gave a growl of agreement. Kiba tossed a piece of meat for Akamaru to eat. "I still can't believe she went through with it, though."

"Hinata would do anything if it meant that her sister would not get sealed." Shino replied.

"Even marrying a cold hearted, stuck up, pain in the ass, Uchiha." Kiba added.

"Hinata-chan does look pretty, doesn't she?" Ten-Ten put in. "Her hair seems longer though."

"Maybe she has extensions on?" Ino suggested. "They must have been professionally done, it looks like it's her natural hair."

"She is an heiress after all." Ten-Ten mused.

"Right, right! That means she must have other pretty dresses!"

"She's so lucky!"

"I would love to have half as many kawaii kimono's as Hinata-chan!"

Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome." Out of the corner of his eye, Shikamaru could see Sasuke quietly conversing with Hinata before standing up. The Uchiha glanced over the assembly before clearing his throat.

"I would like to thank you all for attending out reception." He started. The voice he used was condescending but humble. "My newly wedded wife and I sincerely hope that you are enjoying the reception. Before we conclude the luncheon my wife has a few words to say." Sasuke took Hinata's hand and helped her up from her seat. She whispered something to him and he nodded.

"Thank you everyone for attending our reception. I would first like to begin with my official resignation to my birthright. Because of this new union, I feel that my time must be focused on the new life between my husband and I, and because of that I feel that I will be unable to look over the Hyuuga Clan in my father's place when he should resign.

Therefore I pass my right to become the Head of Hyuuga to my younger sister Hanabi and her new fiancé, Kurosu Hiroyuki. They will lead our clan to prosperity, and will bring about a new generation of Byakugan users. It is in my most sincerest hope that the two of them will become a better leader than I would have ever made. Hanabi-chan, Kurosu-sama, if you will please stand?" Hinata smiled warmly at the crowds as she bestowed upon Hanabi the traditional Hyuuga kimono that marked the heir of the clan.

"I would also like to bestow upon my sister her new guardian, Hyuuga Kain, an honor allowed only to the heir of Hyuuga. Good luck sister, and lead the Clan to prosperity." Hinata bowed, the sleeves of her kimono brushed the ground lightly. Hanabi mimicked her movements.

"Thank you sister, I hope to surpass your wishes and lead our clan to prosperity and accomplish the goals you have set out for this family." Hanabi murmured demurely.

Hinata nodded her approval before turning again to face her audience. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but her expression remained calm. "With this, I announce that the party has only barely begun!"

The Hyuuga were a prideful bunch, and because they held so much pridel, they did not lose the chance to show all of Konoha how _wonderful_ their parties could be. They weren't just a frugal bunch of old men, oh no, when the Hyuuga put their minds to it, they could throw the best _parties_ ever; Hinata's reception was a prime example. Sake flowed, food was constantly replenished, and there was _karaoke_!

Hinata disappeared a few times to change her outfit, and every time she reappeared her sleeves seemed to get longer and longer until they were brushing the floor even when her arms were neatly crossed against her chest. When she disappeared Sasuke would wait patiently, or so it seemed, on the porch for his new wife to return. Then the two would circle the crowds, striking up conversations, and preparing political meetings to restore the Uchiha Clan.

"Hinata-chan, I'm so proud of you! Getting married before all of us! Ah! I'm so jealous!" Ino cried and tried, but failed, to hug the bride.

"Ino-san, you're drunk." Hinata chided gently, she tried to pry the cup from the blonde's grasp, but Ino stumbled away calling for Sakura. "I-Ino-san!"

"Leave her." Sasuke said, pulling Hinata away to greet the rest of the guests. "You won't be able to do anything with her in that state."

"B-but she's drunk! What if she hurts herself?" Hinata fretted trying to spot Ino in the crowds. Why were there so many people?

"So's everyone else here, besides you and me. I think even your father is drunk." Sasuke answered blandly.

Hinata frowned thoughtfully, she couldn't imagine her father drunk.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto's voice echoed over the gardens. Sasuke winced. "Teme! You better not hurt Hinata-chan!" The Kyuubi vessel cried, hiccupping with every other word. "This song is dedicated to my best-est, best-est, friend ever! The bastard over there in the black!" Naruto cried, he was swaying on the makeshift stage. "Congratulations to the Broom and Gride!" And he began singing... off key... horribly off key, and what was worse was that everyone was clapping, cheering, and hooting in approval.

Sasuke's hand twitched wishing he could kill the damn Dobe then and there.

"Ah, they are all drunk." Hinata commented after Naruto had finished his song with lots of help from Gai and Lee. "And it's still daylight." Hinata added as an after thought.

* * *

**KairaKi:**_ Yay! Chapter Two is up! This was a relatively light chapter delving into Hinata and Sasuke's wedding, but as you can see I didn't really put too much information about the ceremony and such. That would have been very confusing... Japanese weddings have so much different kinds of rituals that I don't understand so I just took the basics of it all and put it in this chapter._

_There is some insight on the reasons why Hinata and Sasuke married each other, you know the whole "I want to restore my clan" and "I want to save my sister" kind of thing. But oh hoh! Neji is going to remain with Hinata? What's up with that? Will there be a forbidden love in this story? I have no clue, it would prolong everything if that were to be added in. What do you think? _

_I also have to add in the slightly jealous Sakura. She's not out right jealous as in "I'm plotting to poison Hinata-chan so Sasuke-kun will be all mine!" but more of a "I lost my childhood dream..." kind of thing. Does that make sense? Basically Sakura is just sad that Sasuke never really acknowledged or returned her feelings even though he knew of them. She had always dreamed of becoming Uchiha Sakura, but never really had a chance too. Right now you could say Sakura is slightly confused about her feelings for Sasuke and her feelings about his marriage. Hmm I think that's a good enough explanation for now. _

_As for Hanabi-chan I hope to add a few scenes depicting her new status and relationship with her husband-to-be. There's an eight year age difference between the two and that's a bit of a challenge for our little firecracker. Hanabi may be obedient but she spent most of her life believing that she would be marked for the branch house, and though she can hold the Hyuuga mask, she still doesn't understand the political aspects of being the heir. In that sense she must work to create a new act for her new role. Confusing, isn't it? But Hanabi-chan will be able to pull it off!_

_I know you're all wondering about what will happen to Hinata on her wedding night, and many of you will be disappointed that that particular scene is not in this chapter. But not to worry, there is a part in the next chapter that reveals Hinata's first night as an Uchiha! I won't promise anything though._

_**By the way, thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I was really surprised when I found my inbox filled with them after the first day! I had forgotten I posted this story up yesterday! **_

_**Please send me your insight and questions. I really do enjoy reading them and replying to a few (I get really lazy so I do every other one depending on the type of review you sent)! **_

_P.S. I really enjoy picking on Neji. Did you like that scene with Team Seven? Perverted Kakashi! Hahaha, how could Kakashi not be hit by dirty thoughts with the way Neji was forming his sentences?_

**R&R**

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	3. Chapter 3

**kairaKi: **_I've gotten so many nice reviews with lots of criticisms and information on how to improve on my writing! There were ones that were very long detailing the readers likes and opinions on my story! I feel so happy knowing that you took the time to type it all down! Thank you! I hope to live up to your expectations and I hope that my story lives up to your expectations! An author is nothing without her readers!_

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_Chapter 3: Dream of __**C**__almness in Uncertainty: The First Date_

Hinata moved into the Uchiha compound with a squadron of servants to help keep the house, work in the kitchen, and prune garden. They were all Branch members who were not bestowed the gift of _sight_ , and therefore unmarked. They did, however, have the trademark pale eyes that marked them as Hyuuga, only their eyes were not the perfect opal shade, but a shade of light jewel tones. The servants lived in the old abandon homes of former Uchiha clan members, cleaned, and warded from evil spirits. Along with the servants came Neji, who lived on the outskirts of the occupied homes, and farthest from the main complex. He kept a watchful vigilance of all the going ons of the compound and the newly-weds' stagnant relationship.

Neji should have been reassigned to Hanabi, but Hiashi seemed to have foresaw something that led to his decision that Hinata still needed a Protector, even though she was married to one Uchiha Sasuke. So, Neji moved to the Uchiha compound with Hinata as her 'guardian'. Neji believed the main reason behind this was that even though he belonged to Hinata, he still had to obey Hiashi, and what Hiashi wanted was a spy in the Uchiha compound (he wasn't dying anytime soon) for what ever reason.

Sasuke and Hinata may have been married for a month, they may have shared a bed for a month, but the relationship between the two of them was anything but that of a married couple. With a sigh, Hinata continued her wifely duty of making breakfast. Hinata insisted that she be the one to cook for Sasuke, unless she didn't have time, or was away for something or another. She felt that it was her duty as wife to at least provide that, if not anything else.

There was the soft padding of feet that signaled to Hinata that her husband had woken up.

"Ohayo." Sasuke grunted.

"Ohayo." Hinata replied as she set the table for breakfast. Sasuke poured himself a cup of tea and began going through the early morning mail.

Hinata remembered the first night she spent in the Uchiha household. She was unsure whether she was suppose to sleep with Sasuke (as in sleep, sleep, with him, or were they just going to sleep?) or in a different room. While she was busy debating the idea Sasuke had entered the bedroom half dressed with his hair all wet...

* * *

"_Are you going to stand there all night or are you coming to bed?" He demanded. _

_Hinata squeaked, and threw herself into the large bed, pulling the cover over her blushing face. She could hear him snort at her actions as he turned off the lights. There was a small thump, probably the towel that he had used to dry his hair landing on the ground, and a slight shifting of the bed, as he slid under the covers. Maybe they weren't going to do anything tonight. Hinata thought silently. _

"_Oyasumi." Sasuke muttered. _

_Hinata had to still her pounding heart due to the suddenness of the formality. "Oyasumi." She whispered, pulling the covers around her tighter. There was a slight tug of resistance from Sasuke but Hinata held on tight._

"_Don't tell me you're a blanket hog." Came Sasuke's voice. He tugged lightly at the blankets. _

_Hinata relinquished her death grip on the blanket, but couldn't fall asleep until much, much, later._

* * *

Hinata was twenty-one, and married to Uchiha Sasuke. She, though a mediocre shinobi, was an excellent diplomat, it was one of the few things her father had been proud of after he had forced the stutter out of her and shaped her will so that it would not bend in the most dire of situations. Most of her missions were information gathering, treading in the murky water that was politics; she was an emissary from the Hidden Village of Leaf, a woman emissary from a village who had a woman leader. Hinata knew how to begin conversations and turn them in her favor, but like every morning since their marriage, she couldn't bring herself to speak up.

When they were done eating Hinata cleared the table and prepared to wash the dishes while Sasuke got dressed. After that he would leave in his Jounin attire and prepare for a day of minor missions, and she would change into her Chuunin standard uniform and head out to the Academy. They never spoke besides the proper greetings in the morning and at night.

"Ohayo."

"Ohayo."

"Okeari"

"Taidaima."

"Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

Those were the only words they had spoken to each other since their marriage.

* * *

Neji was just returning from a rather gruesome three-day mission when he remembered that Hiashi-sama had ordered him to report immediately to the main house before heading back to his new 'home'. Neji was sure that his uncle wanted an update about Hinata's relation ship with Uchiha, and who better to give the report than him? There was, however, nothing to report as every day since Hinata-sama's marriage the couple interacted minimally. So without a second thought as to his attire (he was soaked in blood), Neji turned on his heels and sprinted to the Hyuuga compound.

* * *

"Kurosu-sama, konnichiwa." Hanabi greeted with a recently perfected doll like smile.

"Konnichiwa." Hiroyuki replied, smiling boyishly. "I hope you do not mind, my younger sister is attending to me today." He motioned to the girl next to him. _She's tiny,_ Hanabi mused as she surveyed the girl. She tried to recall the young girl's name. _It was Sa- something._ _Saya, I think._ _She's the second youngest of the Kurosu family, and one of the two daughters not enrolled in the Academy._ _She's about thirteen, I believe._

"Konnichiwa." Hanabi nodded in the girl's direction. She looked like her brother, with long dark hair and sharp unnaturally hued amber gold eyes.

"Konnichiwa, Hanabi-sama. I am Kurosu Saya, Aniki's younger sister. I am sorry to intrude on your date, but Otou-sama insisted." Saya bowed low, her unbound hair brushed the ground.

Hanabi dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand, like how Hinata used to do it. "No, if your brother doesn't mind I won't either." Mentally Hanabi was congratulating herself for remembering the details of Hiroyuki's family. She had spent long nights memorizing his relations, as well as her own. Who knew that the Hyuuga family tree could be so confusing? How her sister managed to greet everyone by name and remember whether they had children, grandchildren, siblings, or close relatives was still a mystery to her.

"Oh but I do." Hiroyuki muttered under his breath in a teasing manner. "Now I won't be able to spend some alone time with you, Hanabi-sama."

Hanabi blushed prettily, like how she was supposed too, but her eyes hardened and she looked away, unwilling to take the bait. She could feel her Protector hovering in the shadows, and wondered if Hinata ever felt caged with Neji shadowing her every movement. "Shall we head out now, Kurosu-sama?" Hanabi asked, stepping towards the main gate. Hiroyuki nodded and offered his arm which Hanabi took without much thought, her mind was still going over her sister's seemingly small accomplishments.

Neji was just exiting from his meeting with Hiashi when he met Hanabi and her fiancé heading out to town. Hanabi greeted him lightly, and Neji noted that the younger girl had gotten better at acting. Hiroyuki greeted him also, but he only had eyes for the Hanabi, something Neji took note of also.

"Neji-san, may I ask a favor of you?" Hiroyuki asked after Neji had return their greetings.

Neji nodded.

"This is my younger sister, Saya." Hiroyuki gently pushed the girl forward. "I know you must be busy, but if you could watch her for a few hours... She will be bored all day if she just follows us around." Hiroyuki said.

The girl did look a bit resigned at spending time following her brother around on his date. She glanced at him, almost pleading, to accept the offer. Did she not notice that he was covered in blood, and smelled horribly? After all he had been, more or less, rolling around with dead bodies for nearly three days.

"Nii-san," Hanabi started. "Maybe you could take her to see Hinata-chan, she must be bored..." Hanabi trailed off. She knew about her sister's situation, and probably felt ashamed, or guilty, for it. Neji felt a twitch wanting to develop under his eye. Did nobody notice he had just got back from a deadly mission? Was there not enough blood? Maybe he should show them the hand he cut off as proof, but he had given that to another member to take to Tsunade-sama, so that wouldn't work.

"Very well." Neji replied stiffly. The girl, Saya, smiled brightly up at him. Neji held back a sigh. Maybe it was because the girl didn't really want to spend time watching two love-birds and he pitied her, or he had just fallen for one of Hanabi's attempts to make his life miserable as revenge for the last time he won one of their 'spars'.

* * *

Whispers. Whispers. Whispers. The hall during passing was filled with it. Fellow peers talking behind her back, students questioning whether she really was the new Uchiha, or betting that her marriage wouldn't last. Hinata was used to it, years in the Hyuuga house, years spent under constant scrutiny had prepared her for it. Their opinions, their gossip, and their stares were easier to brush off than her family's.

"Hyuuga-sensei!" Shizumasu Akio, a new recruit to the Academy, called out to her. Hinata turned, fumbling slightly with the papers in her hand.

She beamed at the boy, she had to at least act her part if people were to believe the marriage. "Nani, Akio-kun? Do you need something?"

The boy fidgeted under her colorless gaze. "Ano, Sensei, you aren't really married are you?" He asked.

Hinata paused, surprised. "Ah, yes, actually, I am. I guess I should tell my students to start calling me Uchiha-sensei from now own." Hinata said laughingly.

"Oh." Akio seemed deflated. "I wish you a happy marriage then!" He yelled before running off.

Hinata, though confused, continued on her way to the teacher's lounge.

* * *

"Hyuuga-san--"

"Neji, call me Neji." Neji interrupted.

Saya scrunched up her nose. "Um, okay, Neji-san, where are we going?"

"Home." Neji replied.

"My home or your home?"

"My home."

"Who's?"

"Mine."

"Oh, okay."

Silence.

"Ne, Neji-san, you're a shinobi, right?" _What did the blood give it away?_ Neji bit sarcastically in his mind as Saya skipped ahead. "Can you help me with something?"

"What?" Neji asked.

"Ne, can you use your Byakugan and see if I have misplaced, um, chakra points?" Saya leaned forward a bit, her eyes curious. _ Why is no one afraid of me now?_ Neji asked himself as the girl smiled cheerily.

"Why?"

"Otou-sama says I don't, so I can't go to the Academy, but I want to become a kunoichi no matter what! Plus, I have the feeling that Otou-sama was lying to me. If Ari-chan has them, then I should too! So, will you check for me?" Her hands were clasped in front of her. "Please?"

Neji couldn't find a valid reason to deny her, and if he agreed to help she wouldn't bother him afterwards, and if he didn't, then the girl would most likely bother him until he died, or killed her for annoying him. He wasn't the most patient of people. "Very well." Neji answered finally.

"Thank you!" Saya bowed low. For a moment it looked as though she was about to hug him; secretly Neji was glad she didn't.

Silently Neji activated his Byakugan and mentally compared Saya's chakra system to that of an average shinobi. He started at her legs and slowly moved up. Her chakra system was highly unusual, it was no wonder Hiashi-sama wanted a relation to the girl's small clan. If a child between Hanabi and Hiroyuki were to yield both the Byakugan and the unusual chakra pattern of the Kurosu clan, the child would be powerful.

"Well?" Saya asked nervously.

"Yes, you have your family's unusual chakra system." Neji replied tonelessly.

Saya squealed and this time she did hug Neji, blood and all. _Do they NOT notice the blood?_ Neji demanded mentally. He was covered head to toe in the sticky, still slightly wet, substance and the girl was HUGGING him.

"I knew it! Thank you! Now I just have to convince Otou-sama that I can become a decent shinobi!" Saya clapped her hands together in excitement and was suddenly thrown back by a wave of power. "Ouch." She muttered sitting up.

Neji raised a curious brow. "Maybe you should practice control first." He said.

* * *

"Hinata-chan!" Ino greeted cheerily. "Oh, my, GOD! I absolutely have to tell you about this new restaurant in the shopping district! It has the most amazing pastries EVER! We should go there after you finish filing? It'll be a girl's day out, what do you say?" Ino grinned.

"Hey, Ino-san." Hinata greeted back, shuffling through papers. "New restaurant? Um, I'll have to ask my...my...my h-husband." Hinata squeaked the last word. _One month._ She repeated the words in her head. _And I still haven't gotten used to him._

"Ask me what?"

"S-S-Sasuke-s-san!" Hinata jumped from her seat, scattering files every where. Sasuke smirked at his wife's action. "W-w-what are you d-doing here? D-didn't you h-have a m-m-mission?" Hinata asked.

"Ah, it got canceled last minute after the lord croaked. Heart attack ." Sasuke shrugged. "I came to pick you up."

Hinata hid her blush as she scrambled for the papers. "T-thanks." She muttered when Sasuke handed her some papers she missed. Hinata swore Ino was giggling behind her back.

"Let's reschedule, Hinata-chan! I'll see you tomorrow!" Ino chirped as she pulled the rest of the teachers out with her. Hinata gulped.

"Look we have to talk." Sasuke said as he took a seat at the edge of her desk.

"A-about what?" Hinata tried to force her stammer out, but it wasn't working.

"Your father approached me today." Which was why he had to cancel his mission in the first place. The lord didn't really die, but it would have been nice if he did. Sasuke was sure that if he told Hinata that her father had made him pull out of a mission she would demand a full on explanation and some how reassign him to said mission, which he hadn't really wanted in the first place; the lord was a bastard and he annoyed Sasuke to no end. He was kind of happy that Hiashi had a 'talk' with him. At least now he didn't have to deal with that pompous ass of a lord.

"Oh?" Hinata had the feeling that what ever they were going to talk about wasn't going to be good.

"We need to start dating." Sasuke stated.

"N-NANI?"

Sasuke ran an agitated hand through his spikey black hair. Hinata would have said he looked nervous, but Uchihas don't look nervous, did they? "Hinata, will you go out with me to lunch?"

There was squealing coming from the door. Sasuke glared at it before turning his attention back to his wife.

"Ah, well, ano... What did my father tell you?" Hinata asked, she was playing with her fingers, a habit she was sure had gotten rid of a few years back.

"We need heirs." Sasuke said bluntly.

Hinata was sure she reached a new level of red. "A-ah..." She was tongue tied. "W-well... we should get going!" Hinata stood up abruptly, fumbled for Sasuke's hand, before pulling him along with her into a mob of gossiping teachers.

Later she would comment that Sasuke let her drag him halfway across Konoha without complaint.

* * *

"What about that restaurant there?" Hinata asked, pointing to a Chinese styled restaurant. They had already walked passed five different ones that Sasuke deemed either too greasy, too sweet, or just plain no. "I love Chinese food."

"Okay." Sasuke answered in a bored tone.

Hinata was prepared to walk away when Sasuke's sudden acceptance stopped her. "Really?" She glanced up at

her husband; he looked as passive as ever. Sasuke nodded and she beamed. "Thank you!" She cried before ducking into the restaurant with Sasuke following.

* * *

Sakura was moping in her bedroom when Ino barged in declaring something about dates and cute little Sasuke babies with chubby cheeks.

"Go away Ino-pig, I need some time alone." Sakura said throwing a pillow at her friend.

Ino caught the object easily. "Okay, I know you're still moping about Sasuke-kun." She started. "But it's over, he's married, and you have to be happy for him. Knowing Sasuke-kun's personality he would have never dropped down to one knee to propose to you or me. In fact I don't think he'd _even_ try to propose, he seems more like the type of person who threatens you with a butter knife to marry him or die." Ino took a big breath and continued talking. "Anyways, I'm here on a mission!"

"Go away!" Sakura muttered.

"C'mon Billboard-brow, lets go to that cute little restaurant with the tofu! Let's call Ten-Ten-chan and we can have a kunoichi's night out; Hinata-chan can't come tonight, she has stuff to do, so what about it?" Ino plopped herself on Sakura's bed. "It'll get your mind of Sasuke-kun."

Sakura sat up and glared at Ino. "You aren't going to leave me alone anytime soon, so why not? Get out so I can get ready."

Ino grinned triumphantly. "I knew you'd see it my way."

Half and hour later, with a lot of cajoling from Ino, Ten-Ten and Sakura entered the restaurant that said blonde declared had the best tofu ever. "Trust me, the tofu here is to _die_ for." Ino chirped happily.

"Ino, not all of us are on a diet of soybeans and tofu." Ten-Ten sighed.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm only one percent fat and ninety-nine percent muscle. Tofu makes you lean, and not burly. Have you seen some of the kunoichi's these days? Can you say 'ew' ?" Ino flipped her hair haughtily. "You don't have to forgo looks to become a shinobi."

"Maa, maa, I think you're getting too into it." said Ten-Ten. "Ne, Sakura-chan, you're awfully quiet tonight. What's up?"

Sakura, who had been thinking about Sasuke, laughed nervously. "Nothing, it's nothing." She said. "Just, you know, tired from training that's all. Tsunade-sama is a slave-driver."

Ten-Ten didn't seem to buy the argument, but dropped the subject. If Sakura didn't want to talk about it then she wouldn't pry. "You're so lucky Sakura-chan to be training with the great Tsunade-sama! I'm so jealous of you!"

"Iie, not really." Sakura laughed.

"Bah, just because you have a big forehead." Ino commented with a teasing smile. "A table for three please."

"Right this way then." The waitress said, leading them through the lunch bustle. She sat them at a table near the middle of the room, and took their drink order before leaving.

"You're just jealous." Sakura smirked. "I'll beat you any day Ino-pig."

Ino raised a perfect blonde brow. "Oh? You wanna bet?"

Ten-Ten giggled at her companion's rivalry. "Maa, not in here you two. Oh hey, it's Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" Ten-Ten waved to the opal eye girl who had just exited the bathroom. Hinata waved back and made her way over with a small smile.

"Hey Hinata-chan, I thought you were busy?" Ten-Ten said.

Hinata looked confused for a moment. "Busy?"

"Yeah, Ino-pig here said you were busy and couldn't come out with us!" Sakura put in with a playful glare in her perky companion's direction.

"Ah." Hinata started toying with her fingers. She had to break that habit again. "I'm here with Sasuke-san." She said, motioning to her own table that was on the other side of the room.

"Aw, you're on a date with you husband! That's so cute! Okay then, go back and forget all about us!" Ten-Ten grinned, she shooed Hinata away. "Don't keep your hubby waiting."

Hinata blushed as she stumbled away.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you okay? You look a bit clammy." Ten-Ten asked worriedly after Hinata had left.

Sakura offered a weak smile. "Yeah, just tired." _Sasuke-kun doesn't like Chinese though..._

* * *

"Did you get it off?" Sasuke asked after Hinata returned to their table. Hinata nodded shyly and the couple resumed eating in silence.

"How are we going to make this work?" Sasuke asked after a while. "You do remember the agreements, right? We have to have a child this time next year, or your sister gets the seal and our contract is broken."

Hinata tried to force down a blush as Sasuke continued.

"So we have to reach some sort of understanding here,"

Did he have to sound so bored when he spoke? And what was up with the way he was looking at her?

"If we want to make this marriage work. Going out together in public, and getting to know each other is all part of it, of course, but it doesn't mean we'll miraculously fall in... love. " Sasuke paused thoughtfully. "Do you still want to share a bed?" He asked abruptly.

"N-nani?" Hinata was confused, one moment he was talking about agreements, and the next he was asking if she still wanted to share a bed with him. "I- I honestly don't mind." She whispered, embarrassed. "Unless you don't want me to, then I understand!" She added hastily.

Sasuke snorted. "I don't care about that either, it's just that you're a blanket hog." There was a wisp of amusement in his voice. "I never thought that you of all people would be the type that hogs all the covers."

Hinata blushed in mortification. "A-ah, sorry." She muttered.

"Never mind about that." Sasuke said dismissively. "We need to talk about kids. How many do you want?"

"E-eh?!"

"How many children do you want?" Sasuke repeated impatiently.

"One or two, maybe three at most." Hinata answered. "What about you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't care." He said. "Enough to restore my clan. Let's move on now. How will we go about conceiving them?"

"W-what?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Did your father never give you the 'talk'? I don't want to explain it to you how babies are made." Hinata felt her cheeks heat up at Sasuke's last remark.

"I-I know how babies are made!" She cried, embarrassed.

"That's good to know." Sasuke said. "Now answer my question."

"D-do you want to do _it_ now?"

Sasuke looked a bit surprise. "In front of all these people? I didn't know you had it in you." He said mockingly.

Hinata blushed heavily. "I-I didn't mean _now_, now!" She corrected hastily. "I meant.. when we got home-- if you wanted to-- ano, I, ah!" Hinata felt like pounding her head on the table, why was he asking her all these questions?

"You meant you want to try tonight?" Sasuke clarified.

"If you want to. I mean, we're m-married aren't we. There's n-nothing w-wrong with d-do-doing it!" Hinata said sinking further and further into her seat. They were in public! Why did he had to bring it up now?

Sasuke had to lean forward a bit to hear what his wife had said. "You do know that I'm not going to force you to do anything."

Hinata hid her face in her hands.

"Are you done eating?"

Hinata nodded.

"Good, lets go." Sasuke called for tab, paid it, and grabbed Hinata's hand. "We have a lot of things to work out before we can have sex."

Hinata nearly died of mortification.

* * *

"Neji-nii-san!" Hanabi pounded on the door; she was dressed in her usual loose training clothes that her father forbade her to wear around Hiroyuki.

Neji opened the door and seeing Hanabi, promptly shut it again. Hanabi frowned and was about to pound on the door again when Neji opened it again.

"It isn't a nightmare." Neji muttered as the bouncy heiress breezed in.

"Thanks Neji-nii-san for taking care of Saya-chan today!" Hanabi grinned cheerily. "I've come to thank you by allowing you the honor of sparring with me!"

Neji restrained the urge to roll his eyes. "Thank you, Hanabi-sama, but I'm tired, and I would be honored if you could leave and let me sleep." He said, vainly hoping that his younger cousin would actually listen to him for once.

"Kurosu-sama and I had a great time in town today! We went and saw a that new movie, you know, the one about the Snow Princess, it was so sad!" When Hanabi made herself comfortable on his spartan couch Neji knew he was doomed. "Is Onee-sama back yet? Kurosu-sama and Saya-chan just left, so I thought I should come visit!"

So Hinata was still out with Uchiha, and that was the reason why Hanabi had come to 'visit' him.

"Ne, Neji-nii-san, let's train together! It's still early and I don't have to be back at the compound for another two hours!"

Two hours... Two hours!

"Neji-nii-san, are you all right? You know you should get some more sleep if you're going to fall over like that!"

* * *

**KairaKi:**_OOh, this was one of my longer chapters. It was basically full of little scenes of Hinata's current life. There was a small part about her wedding night too. I pondered over that little piece for a while and decided that Sasuke, while cold and maybe a little unforgiving, would not actually force Hinata to do anything. He understands as much as her that the only reason for their marriage was, more or less, personal gain of some sort. _

_Hinata and Sasuke are married a month before he actually takes her out on their first 'date'. Surprising? I don't know. He didn't even try until Hiashi-sama 'approached' him. I thought that the restaurant scene was done pretty well, in my personal opinion. I think that I managed to retain most of the characters' personalities. Sakura was a bit hard, but as you can see she's still trying to get over Sasuke. She isn't mad at Hinata though (surprise?) and is slightly confused by her friend's relationship with Sasuke. She knows that Hinata-chan likes chinese food whilst Sasuke doesn't, and that makes her sad knowing that Sasuke would never have done that for her. Sakura will come to terms with her feelings soon. She just needs some closure to a love that never took off._

_I just love picking on Neji. At the rate it's going he might become an aspirin addict. He's such a fun character to toy with. As you noticed I brought in another OC, and you get a reason why Hiashi-sama wants Hanabi to marry Hiroyuki (it's like a field day for him Sharingan-Byakugan and a near unlimited chakra reserve with the Byakugan. I think he's having fun.) I didn't want to give my OC some super crazed bloodline or whatever, but I don't know... Is it too much? Was bringing in Saya over kill? I have ideas that involve her for later chapters, but I don't want to use her too much. I want to be cautious when bringing in an original character._

_Did you guys notice it? This is the chapter containing the story summary. XD Poor Hinata-chan was picked on by Sasuke. This chapter as well as the previous chapters were all ready written and ready to go, but I decided to wait a while before posting each one. I edited this one a couple times to add in extra info where it was needed (mainly Neji and the blood) until it was ready for posting. I think you'll like the next chapter too, more SASUHINA action, but that particular document won't be posted until I finished chapter 5!  
_

**R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Dream of **D**ates, Ripe and Sweet: Steps to Conceiving an Heir; The Fated Meeting?_

* * *

**Step One: Spending time together on mundane things.**

"Y-you can leave for work already, Sasuke-sa-kun, I can wash the dishes by myself. It doesn't really matter." Hinata said nervously. Sasuke ignored her. "Y-you might b-be late if you--"

"Shut up and dry the damn dishes." Sasuke cut her off with a glare.

"H-hai!" Hinata squeaked turning back to the growing pile of wet dishes. "Ah, you missed a spot here." Hinata said, pointing to a spot on a seemingly spotless plate.

"I don't see it." Sasuke said, staring at the plate.

"It's right there."

"I still don't see it."

"But it's right _there_!"

Sasuke frowned at the plate; he still didn't see anything. "You're imagining things." He muttered to his wife before wiping the plate one last time before handing it back to her.

Hinata gave an exasperated sigh and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like _men._

* * *

**Step Two: Public displays of affection. (?**)

"I'll be late for dinner today." Sasuke stated. "Don't wait up for me."

"Okay. I'll leave your dinner in the oven then." Hinata replied, staring at her feet. Sasuke grunted.

Sasuke had decided that he should accompany her to work as a 'public display of affection', though Hinata doubted that walking ones wife to work could be counted as that. But then again, her husband was _Sasuke_, and Sasuke didn't really fall under the category of a _normal_ husband.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun." Hinata kept her eyes averted to the ground.

"Nani?" Sasuke asked, he kept his eyes to the side.

Hinata pushed her two pointer fingers together, she really needed to break that habit again. "A-ano,"

"Stop that."

"E-eh?" Hinata looked up, embarrassed. She crossed her arms over her chest. "S-stop what?"

Sasuke rolled her hands. "You were playing with your fingers again." He said. "It's annoying, stop it."

"O-okay." Hinata said, blushing.

"What were you going to ask me?" Sasuke spared his wife a glance to show that he was interested in what she had to say.

Hinata turned a darker shade of red. "W-what would y-you like for dinner?" She asked. "I- I don't k-know wh-what you like t-to e-eat s-s-so I've b-been ma-making thi-things that I-I like, b-but t-th-that isn't fair to y-you, s-so I th-thought I should a-ask." Hinata said shyly. She kept tripping over her words in nervousness though, making her feel even more embarrassed than she already was.

"Stop stuttering; that's annoying too." Sasuke said. "I'm not that scary am I?" He raised a brow, as though threatening her to answer.

Hinata wasn't sure if that was suppose to be a joke, or if she really was suppose to answer the question. "A-ano..."

Sasuke sighed and ran a pale hand through is dark hair. "I don't care either way what we eat. It's better than _my_ cooking." He said. Hinata nodded. "Ja." With a single nod her way he disappeared.

"Ja ne." Hinata whispered, though she was sure he had missed it.

* * *

**Step Three: Showing thanks through simple things. **

Sasuke got home a little while after Hinata fell asleep. He padded silently through the not so empty halls of his home, careful not to wake her up. He had entered through the window to their bedroom; a habit of his, to find Hinata snuggled up on his side of the bed, the covers pulled tightly around her; she _was_ a blanket hog after all Sasuke had thought blankly.

After carefully removing his armor and changing into more comfortable home attire he stealthily exited the bathroom in search of food. Dimly he remembered Hinata saying something about the oven, so he checked there first. Waiting for him was a bowl of curried chicken with rice and vegetables, still warm. Sasuke ignored the vegetables and pulled out the curried chicken. It was delicious.

Sasuke left the bowl in the sink before slinking back up to his room. He was about to open the door when he decided he should wash up his mess and put away the vegetables he did not eat. Grumbling to himself Sasuke descended down the stairs. A little while later, after he finished cleaning after himself, he entered his bedroom ready to do battle with one innocent looking blanket hog. Sasuke had a feeling that he was going to sleep cold tonight.

* * *

Hinata woke up late the next morning, and was immediately bombarded by the feeling of lacking blankets. Too lazy to open her eyes she searched the bed with her hands.

"Stop that." A voice next to her muttered after she gave a forceful tug on what she thought was a blanket.

Hinata bolted upright with a blush on her face. Sasuke was laying next to her, one arm thrown over his eyes, and the other reaching out towards her. She had been tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. Mortified, Hinata scrambled to get out of bed, but Fate was in a mischievous mood today, and she nearly ended up falling to the ground. Sasuke's hand clamped around her wrist prevented that from happening, but the forcefulness of his tug sent Hinata sprawling on top of him.

"A-ah! Gomen!" Hinata cried sitting up and scooting as far away from her husband as possible.

"You're too light. You should eat more." Sasuke commented with a yawn.

"I-I-I'll go make breakfast!" Hinata yelled as she scrambled out the door. Sasuke shrugged off her weird behavior before deciding he had enough time to complete a few exercises before breakfast was ready.

* * *

Hinata was still reeling from her embarrassment as she headed downstairs. She could still feel Sasuke's hand around her wrist, and his body under hers. Mentally Hinata slapped her self for allowing her thoughts to roam. Sasuke was her husband, but she still didn't think of him like that. It was like... It was like imagining herself proposing to Neji-nii! Just plain disturbing!

Hinata peered into the refrigerator; there was a bowl of left over vegetables, milk, eggs, and a stick of butter. Sighing, Hinata closed the fridge door and leaned against it. It was like they were moving one step forward and five steps back! The only way she could conceive would be if she was deathly drunk and if Sasuke was un-gentleman enough to take advantage of a drunken woman (Hinata slightly debated Sasuke's personal morals and came to a conclusion that no, he wouldn't, unless he was deathly drunk himself). She turned back to the refrigerator, this time opening the freezer; breakfast was always a hassle on her nerves.

* * *

The changes in the Uchiha compound following his marriage was subtle, but to Sasuke's trained eyes they were very noticeable. At night the street lamps were lit, and the windows to once empty homes were bright. In the mornings there was the bustle of occupants getting ready for the day's work, and the cheerful morning greetings to him and Hinata. The private Uchiha training grounds, which were usually empty and slightly overgrown, had a few visitors (not just shinobi) and were now neat and pristine, without any deadly left over kunai hanging around in the tall--now short-- grass.

"Uchiha." Neji greeted civilly when he noticed the master of the compound entering the training grounds.

"Hyuuga." Sasuke greeted back in a similar tone.

Once the other knew that there was nothing more to say, they each retreated to their own morning training.

* * *

Hinata prepared a simple breakfast of fish, rice, and vegetables. When reheating the cold greens Hinata couldn't help but grin. Just like a little boy, she had said to herself, to not have eaten his vegetables. She set the table before going upstairs to see if Sasuke was still in bed; she highly doubted it-- he didn't seem like the type to sleep in when there was training to be done.

* * *

"If you have something to say just say it." Sasuke said coldly to Neji after feeling the other man's attention focus on his own exercises.

Neji was quiet for the moment; he was slightly surprised that Sasuke had noticed. "You wish to have a child with Hinata-sama." He stated.

Sasuke grunted.

Neji narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on the wooden post before him. "Do not hurt her." He activated his Byakugan immediately searching out the tiny millimeter wide indentures he had made with the tip of his kunai, fluidly he threw the said weapons at the spots; they all hit their intended mark.

Sasuke, who had been watching the Hyuuga out of the corner of his eye, was mildly impressed by the other man's skill. "I do not intend to." He replied quietly.

"Good, because it will not just be me who will be after you if you do." Neji said.

Sasuke did not doubt that.

* * *

Breakfast was not the usual silent affair as Hinata chattered on about the list of groceries they needed, and all sorts of other things that needed to be attended to in the compound. She spoke in a voice slightly above a whisper so it seemed she was muttering to herself an obscenely long to-do list but her eyes occasionally flickered to Sasuke, waiting for his approval.

Sasuke watched his wife speak in an almost amused fashion. Hinata liked to used her hands a lot when she spoke he noted, and her questions seemed like statements and her statements seemed almost like questions.

"I was thinking also of converting the lower gardens into a farming area." Hinata started. " The soil there is suited to corn and cabbage, as well as some other vegetables. It'll be small at first, but with time, and more people, we'll have enough to support ourselves through lean times. Of course we'll have to work out a distributing rate to the family's. I think it should be based on how many mouths they need to feed. I was also thinking of hiring more gardeners for the fruit orchard." She began clearing the table in a distracted fashion after they finished their breakfast.

" I've been down there recently and it is an outright mess; plenty of fruit but everything is so deathly over grown. We could pay them a steady fee of money as well as a basket of fruit for their labor, there's enough to go around." Hinata listed a number of other things needed to be fixed within the gardens that Sasuke agreed to with a nod.

"We also need to start rebuilding homes." Hinata broached the subject swiftly. She had spent some time thinking of how to phrase it before coming to the conclusion that she just had to rip it off, like a band-aid. "The upper compound will have to be rebuilt from scratch, those houses there are un-salvageable, but the rest only need to be repaired and cleaned of any mold and toxins. It'll cost a lot so I thought we should start around this area and slowly move outwards." Hinata glanced at Sasuke before putting the rest of the plates in the sink. He seemed to be submerged in his thoughts.

"Give me a time line of what needs to be done first and I'll work on it." Sasuke said. He rose to help her with the dishes. "How troublesome." He muttered too himself.

Hinata hid a smile. Had her husband been hanging around Shikamaru lately?

Once they were done with the dishes and suitably dressed for a day in town Hinata and Sasuke mentally prepared themselves for an afternoon at the marketplace to shop for groceries. They linked arms, more for show than for the sake of touching each other, and slowly made their way out of the compound. Usually, the shopping would be taken care of by the servants, but Sasuke had decided, with Hinata's meek agreement, that the two of them should be seen together in public more often. The more they were seen the more chance there was of reviving the Uchiha clan back to its former glory.

* * *

Naruto was out with Sakura, who was buying some medical ingredients for Tsunade, when he noticed the Uchiha couple strolling calmly down the market lane. Hinata and Sasuke had the same pale skin and dark eyes (technically Hinata-chan's eyes were white, but they had always seem dark to him for whatever reason), and in Naruto's mind, made the perfect picture. As they passed, people pointed and whispered to each other, even the shop owners were gossiping excitedly, though they seemed eager to have the Uchihas stop by their humble store.

Sakura was busy bartering for herbs so Naruto took the time to observe the couple silently. He didn't understand why Hinata agreed to marry Sasuke because even though they were walking arm in arm they seemed to dismiss the each other; they might have well been walking on opposite sides of the street! At least that was what Naruto thought until he saw Hinata gently tug Sasuke into a nearby vegetable stand.

The shop owner was a wrinkled old lady who was aided by a rather 'flirty' young girl. The girl was eyeing Sasuke with obvious infatuation; she didn't care that he was married and that his wife was right _there_. Hinata, busy bartering with the old lady, didn't notice the young assistant trying, and failing horribly, to flirt with her husband. The old lady said something and Hinata turned to Sasuke, with a small frown on her lips. Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes as he peered over his wife's shoulder to look at the merchandise. He said something to the old lady, who nodded and smiled. Wait, was Hinata giggling?

Naruto glanced at Sakura who was still arguing with the herbalist. The pink haired medic-nin's cheeks were flushed an angry pink and her jade eyes were bright with emotion. Naruto sighed. Even if Sakura was acting like Sakura she still wasn't the Sakura he knew. This Sakura was still moaning over Sasuke; even though the quiet man was already, seemingly, happily married. Naruto turned his attention back to Hinata and Sasuke who had moved on to the next shop.

Hinata was smiling brightly now as she chattered on about something. Every once in a while her head would turn up to Sasuke who would either nod or shake his head. When she frowned and her hand went to her chin Sasuke would say something and the smile would return again.

"They look happy." Sakura sighed wistfully.

"Sa-Sakura-chan!" Naruto jumped in surprise. "Hehehe, are you all done, Sakura-chan? Here! Let me carry those for you!" Naruto took the bags without much hassle. Usually Sakura would hit him over the head for trying to carry her bags. "Sakura-chan?"

"Let's go Naruto." Sakura said abruptly turning around. Naruto followed quietly; he had seen the tear she had shed.

* * *

Neji was stealthily following the Uchiha couple. No, that was a lie. He wasn't actually following Hinata, they had merely crossed paths and just happened to be going in the same direction. Honest. Plus, if stealthily meant stumbling around fruit stands and having fellow teammates yell his name for all the world to hear, then he was doing the best job an ANBU member could do. Really.

"Neji-san! Konnichiwa."

Neji sighed mentally, just _how_ many people were _looking_ for him? Neji turned to find the Kurosu girl looking up at him with a bright smile. "Konnichiwa, Saya-san." He greeted.

If it was possible (Neji was very sure it wasn't) Saya gave him an even brighter smile. "I just got enrolled at the Academy! I had a talk with Otou-sama and he finally let me apply. It's hard, and there are only a few students around my age." Neji had continued to walk, hoping the girl would get the idea to leave him alone (Lee had stopped him earlier and he had just managed to get away from his energetic 'friend') but Saya fell into step beside the stoic Hyuuga male, ignorant of his wants.

"Becoming a shinobi isn't easy." Neji replied.

Saya laughed. "I know! But that's what makes it worthwhile, don't you think so? However, my teacher doesn't know how to deal with my extra chakra storage, and though Otou-sama agreed to let me apply, he won't allow any one within the clan to assist in my learning. I believe that he is hoping I will drop out."

Neji did not say anything, but Saya continued talking.

"I guess Otou-sama is still getting over Maya-chi's death. Maya was my older sister, and I think she's part of the reason why he won't let me become a kunoichi. I just wish he would get over it! Maya's been dead for ten years already, but he still hasn't gotten over it! I miss her, even if I can't remember her well. I managed to get over it! Why can't he?" Saya's eyes flashed angrily, but here voice remained stable and calm.

"He wishes to protect you because he could not protect your sister. It is understandable." Neji said.

Saya sighed. "You're right Neji-san. Thank you! I have to be going now, it was nice chatting with you!" Saya flashed him another bright grin before bouncing away.

Didn't a conversation need two people? Neji thought to himself as he continued on his way.

* * *

As the afternoon dragged on Sasuke began to lose all feeling in his arms. Sure, he was a shinobi, and shinobi were always in perfect physical health, but they had been walking around for hours, and Hinata just kept _buying_ things. He didn't even know what the purpose _was_ for at least half the items he was carrying, much less what they _were_! And his wife continued on her 'shopping spree', ignorant of his obvious annoyance.

Sasuke held in a sigh as Hinata exited the shop with even more bags. She smiled brightly at him. Sasuke scowled. Hinata's smile turned to a slight frown. "Are you tired, Sasuke-kun?" She asked gently. Sasuke just glared moodily at the people passing by.

Hinata refrained the urge to roll her eyes. "Let's go back. I think we have enough supplies to last us a week."

A _week_?! Sasuke mentally yelled as he followed Hinata down the busy street. With the amount of items she had bought it would only last them a _week_?

Sasuke was not looking forward to their next grocery shopping day.

* * *

Neji entered the office calmly, his face betraying neither nervousness or confusion. Tsunade sighed, of course the boy wouldn't look _nervous_! Confused, maybe, but nervous? Definitely not.

"Hokage-sama." Neji greeted with a formal bow.

"I have a mission for you Neji." Tsunade said, cutting to the chase. "It's a very important one." She waved a manila folder around to emphasis the importance of said mission. "One that only the best of the best are chosen to fulfill. I want you to--" She was interrupted by the sudden explosion of the far wall of her office.

"Ow! Sakura-chan! I'm sorry! I didn't mean too!" Naruto cried as he flew through the opposing wall of the office with such force that it was reduced to a pile of rubble and he was lying in the remains of a broken desk with Tsunade hovering over him annoyance clearly written on her face.

"NARUTO!" Two voices cried out in anger. Neji rolled his eyes, but it was barely noticeable as he quickly exited the half destroyed office, his mission file safely tucked in his vest. He would look over it when he got home. But first he had to go buy some aspirin. A lot of it.

* * *

**KairaKi: **_Thanks to all the readers here who have previously reviewed and who are planning to review. I've received a wide range of different comments on this story. Such as Sasuke actually being nice (is he?). _

_This chapter was fun to write, especially "Steps to Conceiving an Heir". I thought that the beginning sounded almost one-shot-ish. There you have a small view into what Sasuke and Hinata talked about after he dragged her out of the restaurant. Sasuke, to Hinata, is no longer 'san', but 'kun'. They have a 'bonding' time ('Spending Time Together on Mundane Things'). Sasuke is acting his part by walking Hinata to work ('Public Displays of Affection'), and helping out even when he's not asked ('Showing Thanks Through Simple Things')._

_You even have Neji warning Sasuke not to hurt Hinata-sama or else he, and everyone else, is going to gang up on the poor Uchiha to kill him. I didn't give Neji an over-bearing 'You-Hurt-Her-I'll-Personally-Hunt-You-Down-to-Kill-You-By-Castration' aura. He may not like Sasuke but in the social order of things Sasuke is of higher ranking and is therefore entitled to a degree of respect. No outward I'm-going-to-kill-you aura from Neji around Sasuke!_

_Naruto and Sakura make an appearance and you get a peek at what Naruto feels. Does he still have a crush on Sakura? Or is he feeling sorry for her? Who knows? He hasn't done anything 'love-dovey' yet, such as going up to Sakura and saying: "I know you're still in love with Sasuke, but I'm in love with YOU!" Will Naruto even confess, or will he find someone else? Ooo, mysteries! Sakura's starting to get over Sasuke... Maybe. She's definitely not mad at Hinata, there's no jealously going around, no soap opera materials floating around here. At least I don't think so...  
_

_Sasuke's such a kid. Feeling grumpy about walking around with his arms full of bags. I found that adorable though. I couldn't help myself, that's how I pictured Sasuke to act. At least Hinata and Sasuke's relationship with each other is starting to progress forward! What will happen next? And just what is Neji's ultra-super-important mission? What will happen to Naruto and Sakura? Will Hanabi make another appearance with Hiroyuki? What did Hinata _REALLY_ buy and for what purpose? Who knows... _

_Ah, I couldn't help myself. Thanks for all your reviews again! Chapter four isn't as light as chapter three, but I hope you enjoyed it, even if the humor was tone down to a minimum! Can you tell me which meeting was fated and which was not? I'd like to see what you all think about that!_

**R&R**

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 4 1/2: Dream of **E**motions, Rise and Fall: Mind over Matter? Sakura's Inner Turmoil. _

Sakura was finishing up some reports for Tsunade when Ino barged into her room, an overnight bag slung over her pale shoulders and a large grin plastered on her pretty face. Sakura was tired from a long day of training and had hoped for a relatively calm night at home, but seeing her friend in all her annoying blond glory standing in the middle of her room with a look that clearly said 'MEDDLING TIME' Sakura knew that she had no chance for a relaxing night.

"Tonight is the night you'll forget all about Sasuke-kun, because tonight, we're going to have a girl's slumber party! We're going to rate guys, throw popcorn, watch sappy love films, and do dares until you forget about that butter-knife wielding bastard!" Ino declared.

"Butter-knife wielding bastard?" Sakura asked mockingly. "What's up with you and butter-knives? I'm actually busy Ino, why don't you go bother Shikamaru-kun?"

Ino was not swayed. She threw her bag to a corner of the room before stalking over to Sakura's desk and grabbing the reports. "You won't get over him by drowning yourself in work. Every one's worried about you, you know. Naruto especially. Mou, you should at least be a little more gentle with _his_ feelings."

"Shut up Ino-pig. It isn't any of your business." Sakura answered vehemently. "Give me back my work and leave!"

Ino, who was used to Sakura's anger, did not budge. "You've been moping for more than a month already! Don't you think it's time to move on? You're not doing anything good by moaning about Sasuke-kun!" Ino snapped. "That's all you've been thinking about! Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun! Yet you haven't done anything about your situation! You're expecting him to break up with Hinata-chan and whisk you off into a beautiful sunset! Frankly, it's very annoying, and unfair to the people around you!"

"I am not!" Sakura defended. "You don't understand how I feel! No one does! I loved him. I worked so hard to get him back! I've always cared about him, even after he tried to kill us!"

"I?" Ino asked. "By yourself?" Her voice was cold. "You really are stupid. You couldn't have done any of that by yourself! Back then you didn't have the determination to go after Sasuke-kun! If it wasn't for Naruto you would have stayed in Konoha, moaning about Sasuke-kun, just like you're doing now!"

Sakura bit back her anger.

"I've been patient with you for a while now, but I'm getting sick and tired of your attitude! You say you're smart, but then why can't you realize why Sasuke-kun will never love you the way you loved him? Do I have to spell it out for you?" Ino demanded. "I've realized this for a while now, but I can't believe how stupid you can be!"

"I'm not stupid!" Sakura cried.

"Then tell me why Sasuke-kun will never return your feelings." Ino said, her blue eyes flashing.

Sakura opened her mouth to answer but promptly closed it again. She did not know the answer to the question.

Ino gently steered Sakura to her bed. "Sasuke-kun does not believe in love. He will, I shouldn't say never, but that's how it seems, fall in love. He will never give his entire being to one single person. He does not love Hinata-chan, he does not love you. He undoubtedly cares for you, but you can't get that confused with love. Knowing all that you should not be sorry for yourself, because you still have a chance to find love. Hinata-chan, will be unable to find her own love though. She'll be trapped in that marriage, and when she finally meets someone she truly feels a connection with she'll be unable to pursue it." Ino said sagely. "Do you understand now? Do you see how selfish you're acting?"

Sakura shook her head slightly. "I still love him."

Ino took a deep breath. She wasn't going to leave until she got Sakura to realize that moping about Sasuke wasn't going to do her any good. "Fine. Fine. I understand. I was hoping that I wouldn't resort to this, but I have no choice now."

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to kidnap you."

* * *

Sasuke was unable to sleep. That wasn't unusual. The unusual thing was that Hinata, who usually slept facing away from him, had turned so that her body was almost pressed up to his own. He would have moved so that the distance between them was about an arm's length, but he was already at the edge on his side of the bed. It seemed another one of Hinata's bad sleeping habits had revealed itself. Sasuke gently pushed Hinata away from him; the woman would not budge. Sighing Sasuke closed his eyes, he was sure that came morning he would have an annoying headache.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

_What kind of idiot visited someone's house in the middle of the night?_ Sasuke asked himself as he grudgingly got up. He would have ignored the visitors but he got the feeling that who ever it was wouldn't leave him alone until he answered. Sasuke ignored the fact that he was shirtless (it was really too warm to wear a shirt to sleep) and sauntered out the door. He glanced back at the bed once to see that Hinata had snuggled up to his empty spot on the bed. How annoying.

The knocking was growing more persistent, and Sasuke grew more irritated. Who ever it was they were going to regret disturbing his sleep.

* * *

"Ino! What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!" Sakura growled, trying to escape from the binding jutsu Ino had put on her.

"Not until I get the stupid out of you Billboard-brow." Ino replied. "Don't even try to escape, or I'll take over your mind."

Sakura stilled, but her angry gaze was still directed at Ino who was pulling her harshly through the empty streets of Konoha. They were quiet for a moment, until Sakura realized just where her companion was taking her.

"What the hell? You aren't seriously going to barge into Sasuke-kun's house in the middle of the night, are you? You're crazy!"

Ino smiled brightly. "Crazy I may be, but after this night, you can start a new love chronicle. So, who do you think you'll go for? Some one like Sasuke-kun? Neji-san? Shino-kun? Or do you want a cheery type? Kiba-kun? Naruto?"

Sakura, who was still annoyed with Ino, did not answer.

"Mou, personally I wouldn't mind going out with Kiba-kun, personally. He can be pretty cute." Ino sighed.

"Ino, just shut up already."

* * *

Sasuke was very tempted to slam the door in their face, but Ino had already pushed her way in, along with an immobilized Sakura. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"For the good of the world." Ino replied back. "Come along, we have some things to work out, and by we, I mean you and Sakura."

"Get out of my house. Right now."

Ino, though slightly scared by the look on Sasuke's face, was determined. "Not until all this is worked out."

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Make this quick then."

"It all depends on this girl right here." Ino said, pointing to Sakura. "I'll make this very clear to you. Sakura is in LOVE with you."

"Ino!" Sakura cried horrified.

Sasuke sighed. "So?" He asked, missing the down cast look on Sakura's face.

"I want you to reject her." Ino replied. "This girl has been down in the dumps ever since you got married, and it's getting on, not only my nerves, but every one else's too."

"Ah."

"Ino! You're going to far!" Sakura cried.

"Quiet. You'll wake Hinata up." Sasuke chided softly. "What is this really all about?"

Sakura refused to look at her teammate. "N-nothing! Baka Ino barged into my room earlier and dragged me here!"

Ino let off a frustrated growl. "I'm the idiot? You're the one who's still in love with a MARRIED man! You're the one who's still hoping that he'll leave his WIFE for you!"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Is this true Sakura?"

Sakura looked away. Sasuke took the action as a yes.

"I have no intention of leaving Hinata." Sasuke said. "I have no intention of being unfaithful to her. We are not in love, but that does not mean that I will not try to make this marriage work." Sasuke paused for a moment as he tried to find the right words. "Plus, you're not my type."

Not his type? Sakura was utterly confused. A glance at Ino showed that the girl was trying hard to hold in her laughter. "Ah." She didn't know what to say. Thank you? For what? Breaking her heart? Sorry? What for? Falling in love with you. What do you say to someone who just rejected you?

"If that was all you wanted leave. Now." Sasuke said.

"W-wait!" Sakura cried, she reached out for her dark hair teammate. It seemed Ino had released her binding jutsu. "What don't you like about me? Does Sasuke-kun think I'm ugly? Or too dumb? Why don't you love me?"

Sasuke recoiled from her touch. His face was set in a cold mask. "I'm married, Sakura. I will not engage in infidelity."

A hot blush spread across Sakura's cheeks. Did Sasuke really think that she would go out with a married man? She could hear Ino's snide voice commenting_: But you're going after _him_ aren't you? And he's married..._Sakura mentally shook her head in denial.

"Give up, Sakura, go out with Naruto. No matter how hard you try, I will not return your feelings." Sasuke said coldly.

"Demo, Sasuke-kun--" She tried reaching out for him again, but her hand was harshly slapped away.

Ino made a move to admonish the action, but the slight creaking of stairs stopped her. The three inhabitants of the living turned to see Hinata sleepily descending towards them. Sasuke stood up, distancing himself from a silently crying Sakura, to greet his wife.

"Sasuke-kun? Is something wrong?" Hinata asked. She glanced at Ino and Sakura, noting that Sakura was crying before turning back to her husband. "Should I make tea?"

"No, that's not necessary. They were just about to leave anyways. Did we wake you?" Sasuke replied softly.

"Ah, no. Not really." Hinata blushed lightly, her old habit of playing with her fingers resurfacing. "I just woke and noticed you weren't there." Hinata darted a look at Sakura. She knew that her friend was still in love with Sasuke to some extent, but she did not know how far that love went. Seeing the look on Sakura's face, though, gave Hinata some insight into the prettier kunoichi's feelings for her husband. Sasuke grabbed her hands, forcing her to still her twitching fingers.

"I thought I told you to stop that. It's annoying." He said. Hinata nodded dumbly. "Now, if you don't mind, leave already." Sasuke ordered the other two women in the room.

Sakura and Ino shivered at the cold tone, but obeyed. "Oyasumi, Hinata-chan. Sorry for bothering you so late at night." Ino forced a cheerful smile before bolting out the door with Sakura who offered Hinata a watery smile that said '_I don't blame you. It's my own problem'_

* * *

"Did something happen?" Hinata asked after Sasuke came back to their room. She knew she shouldn't be prying but she was curious.

Sasuke paused his actions for a moment. The tenseness of his shoulders belied his obvious reluctance to inform her of the incident. Hinata was about to retract her question when Sasuke answered. "Confession."

Hinata folded her legs under the blanket. "Sakura-san confessed to you? Was she crying because you rejected her?"

Sasuke grunted. He reached to turn off the light, but his hand paused mid-way. "I am not the type of man who marries for convenience and then forgets all about the bride." He said before drowning the room in darkness.

Hinata turned to her side so she could face Sasuke. She was felt relieved by his statement. Some where in the dark recess of her mind she feared that he would abandon her after getting what he wanted, though her heart already knew that Sasuke despite being cold and a bit unforgiving could be kind and gentle at will.

Sasuke, feeling the weight of someone's gaze on him, pulled the covers so that his whole body was hidden beneath the thin blankets. "Go to sleep." He muttered, turning away.

Hinata withheld her laughter at his childish actions. "Oyasumi, Sasuke-kun." She whispered before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over her mind.

"Oyasumi, Hinata."

* * *

"So? How are you feeling now that you finally have an answer to your confession?" Ino demanded after they reached Sakura's house.

"Rejected. Hurt. Annoyed. I feel like I want to kill someone." Sakura answered tiredly. "Damn you Ino-pig, why did you have to go and say those things?"

"They were true, weren't they?" said Ino. "Everything I said was true. Would you have been happier pining after Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes! I don't need you to interfere with MY LIFE! I would rather pretend that he's in love with me, than being rejected like that!" Sakura sobbed. She felt Ino put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"That's stupid. Honestly, that's no way to live your life. You want to be an ugly spinster? Fine by me. Next time you get into one of these moods I won't help you out of them." Ino smiled comfortingly. "At least now you can get on with your life."

"What if I don't want to get on with my life?" Sakura asked bitterly.

"Then I'll have to beat some sense into you." Ino replied.

"Stupid. Thanks though."

"Hey, accepting the facts is the first step to recovery. You really shouldn't delve into that kind of relationship with him anyways. I realized that a long time ago. Some people, some people just aren't the type." Ino sighed.

"I think Hinata-chan will be good for him though. I think he'll treat her good." Sakura laughed shakily.

Ino grinned. "He has too! If he doesn't then Neji-san, as well as everyone else, will be after him!"

"We'll get a chance to beat the pulp out of him, huh?"

"Damn right!"

* * *

_Side Dream: Hanabi's Mission, Successful !...? Neji-sensei?_

Hanabi didn't think that being an heiress was so _hard_! Sure she had seen her sister at work; attending dinners with her father, hosting parties, but Hinata made it look so _easy_! Could it be that being a lowly branch member was even better than being the heiress to the highly esteemed Hyuuga clan? Hanabi bet that branch members didn't have to wake up at four in the morning just to fit everything onto their schedule.

Why did she have to learn how to dance and memorize other people's family tree? What was the point in all that!? Not only did Hanabi have to spend most of her time pouring over musty scrolls, her father had even removed her from the missions list! Now she was stuck at the compound all day, doing practically nothing of physical use, with only the hope of Hiroyuki to save her from her tedious attendants and assignments. Hinata was never removed from the missions list! (Hanabi pointedly ignored the fact that Hiashi actually wanted her beloved Nee-sama to get killed so that she in turn could become heiress.)

But today, oh hoh, today! Today Hanabi had come up with the perfect plan; today was the day she was going to be free from her duties, she was going to go have _fun_ for once, and no one, not her protector, not her father, _no one,_ was going to ruin it.

* * *

Neji twitched as he read is mission briefing. Well, technically it wasn't a mission briefing, it was an official notice telling him that he had been 'nominated' to train his own cell. At the bottom, in very small, messy handwriting, Tsunade had written him a note that he was not allowed to decline.

Snorting, Neji threw the notice into the drawer of his desk. Training _genin_? He twitched again at the word. What were they thinking?! Assigning _him_ of all people to be teacher?! He had no patience for those kinds of things, Hinata, Hanabi, and Tenten would vouch for that! Neji stood up rolling his shoulders as he did so. Between spying, missions, reports, and training how would he ever fit teaching into his absurdly busy schedule?

* * *

Hanabi grinned triumphantly, her mission was a complete success! She had safely exited the Hyuuga compound and was now heading to the village marketplace for some fun. It felt so nice to be free from her daily duties and those other boring things she had to do as the new heiress.

"Hanabi-sama, what are you doing out here?" Kain, her very own Protector, asked in a teasing manner. Kain was only a few years older than her, but acted much older than his real age. He kind of reminded Hanabi of Neji-nii-san-- with a better sense of humor.

Hanabi cursed. How did he always manage to find her?!

"Well? Are you just going to stand there Hanabi-sama? I thought you wanted to spend the day at the marketplace." Kain commented lightly.

Hanabi watched him suspiciously.

"I'm only under orders to protect you and to cater to your best interest, Hanabi-sama. You don't have to worry about me kidnapping you back to the compound. I was getting bored of just watching you pour over scrolls too... Actually, I thought you would have tried to sneak out earlier." Kain gave a rare smile obviously finding the heiress' glare amusing.

Hanabi muttered something under her breath before turning back to the direction of the marketplace and stalking off in a huff of anger; Kain leisurely followed her.

* * *

**KairaKi:**_ I wasn't sure where to place this chapter; it was one of the harder ones to finish. Sakura's portion of the chapter takes place during the night of the last chapter's day. (Basically it happened a few hours after Hinata and Sasuke get home from grocery shopping). Hanabi's portion of the chapter, which is considerably smaller than Sakura's, happens during Sasuke and Hinata's shopping spree, with Neji's infinitely smaller part happening between the time he got the mission report and Hanabi's escape. _

_Personally I really like Ino's personality here; she's like the wind, always breezing in when she wants too. I don't think Sakura would have really gotten over Sasuke without Ino's help even though Ino's methods were a bit brash ( it kinda fits her though, right?). Even though this a side chapter to chapter 4 (hence the title Chapter 4 1/2) You still get to view the small developements in Hinata and Sasuke's relationship. Who knew Sasuke was such a good guy beneath the glares and I'm-gonna-kill-you aura? Ok, his rejection did seem a bit harsh, but that's Sasuke for you. _

_I had fun writing the small part with Hanabi and Kain, her Protector. The pressure of being Heiress is finally getting to poor Hanabi-chan; even Kain is getting annoyed with musty old scrolls and mannerism lessons. Kain is turning out to be a really fun guy, for a Hyuuga that is. Hanabi likes to compare him to Neji for some odd reason. Sometimes she imagines Kain to be Neji-nii-san with a sense of humor. Hard to believe isn't it? _

_Ooh, Neji's going to be a teacher. I feel sorry for his student's already. Behind the scenes Gai-sensei's funeral has already been held. (Joking!). Lol, but you CAN imagine Neji going after his former teacher for 'nominating' him for his own genin cell. However, Neji isn't the only one to become a 'sensei'. A few of the Rookie Nine is joining him too. It's like a new generation of 'Naruto'... oh no! Hahaha, still kidding. This whole story is focused on Sasuke and Hinata, with a few miscellaneous chapters thrown in to clarify a few situations. Like Sakura. I'm not sure about Kiba and Shino yet, or Kurenai. They deserve a few mentions here, after all they are part of Hinata's life. So far I've been focusing more on Sasuke's connections. I think I will have a few chapters on Hinata's long time team-mates feelings about her marriage to the Uchiha. _

_It was a long delay for this chapter; it was really hard to write and double-check. I had a few problems with the general outline of this chapter. A few parts had to be edited and others completely removed. Even then I spent a couple of days just reading it because I wasn't sure if Ino would actually act like that, or if Sakura would act like how she did, or if Sasuke should be a little bit meaner. Hanabi's small insert was added a month after this chapter was written, just to end the chapter on a lighter note. _

_Thank You for all Your wonderful Reviews. I love reading them, it makes me feel so happy. Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter; it would be most appreciated. I want to know if I did well on it; it was really hard.Oh, and I might have missed some grammar mistakes. Please forgive me. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, but you can still miss some things.  
_

**R&R**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

_Dream of **F**ates Intertwined: Sasuke, Hinata  
_

It had been more or less a month since Sakura's confessions and rejection, and she found herself feeling better-- lighter-- than she had in a while, a long while. Her schedule was no longer hectic or long; Sakura found herself with lots of free time to just hang out with Ino, who continued to urge her to actively date, or TenTen, who didn't bother her too much about the 'Sasuke' incident.

Sakura even found herself talking to Hinata on a daily basis; they didn't hang out as much as they used to, as the Uchiha was very busy managing her estate while her husband was out on missions, but it was still _something_. The only person she didn't have daily contact with (besides Sasuke for obvious reasons) was Naruto who spent most of his time drinking with Kiba and Shino. If he wasn't with the two trackers then he was either training by himself or out on a mission of some sort. Sakura didn't think too much about it; she was sure that Naruto would come looking for her soon. After all they were teammates, right?

* * *

Sasuke was sick. That was the first thought that crossed Hinata's mind when she woke to the oppressive heat that came from her husband's body. Still half-asleep Hinata shuffled to the bathroom to take a shower and change; when she came back Sasuke had disappeared beneath the covers.

Hinata approached the bed gingerly and sat down on Sasuke's side of the bed. "Sasuke-kun." Hinata called softly, gently prodding the lump that was her husband.

Sasuke made no movement.

Sighing Hinata wrestled the covers from her husband's iron grip; it took a good deal of time before she managed to free Sasuke from his cocoon to properly diagnose him but she did it.

"You're feverish." Hinata stated feeling Sasuke's disturbingly warm forehead. Sasuke muttered something unintelligible.

Hinata sat with her legs tucked neatly beneath her while she pondered what she should do. She didn't have much experience with caring for the sick (the Hyuuga servants usually did that) and she didn't have any models, good ones any way, to base her actions on. Finally Hinata came to a conclusion about what needed to be done first. She wasn't sure if it was right or not, but in those books Ino had lent her one time when guys were sick girls usually made soup.

"I'm going to make you some soup, so you stay here; you better not get up to train or leave on a mission." She ordered. Sasuke made no reply. Smiling softly Hinata gently tucked the feverish Sasuke in. "Honestly; when did you get sick?" she asked herself as she made him more comfortable. "I'll be right back."

Sasuke buried himself beneath the covers again in reply.

Hinata giggled at his childish actions before leaving the room silently. She left the door ajar, just in case.

* * *

"Good morning, Hinata-sama." Neji greeted his cousin at the window of the kitchen.

Hinata looked up surprised. "Good morning, Neji-nii-san. What are you doing here?" She asked.

Neji shrugged. "I should be asking you the same thing, Hinata-sama. Aren't you supposed to be at the Academy today? I wasn't aware of any holidays."

"Sasuke-kun is sick so I took the day off to take care of him." Hinata explained. "He's feverish and I don't want to leave him alone with just anyone."

Neji nodded in understanding though his mind couldn't process a sick Uchiha; it was far beyond his imaginative capabilities.

"How's teaching going for you, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked conversationally as she washed some vegetables for the stew she was making.

Neji grimaced. His genin team was obnoxiously loud. There was one boy by the name of Nagato Hikaru that reminded him too much of Naruto and two girls: Fuji Ai, an attention hog who continuously pestered him with stupid questions or comments, and Kurosu Saya who had managed, barely, to graduate with a few of her peers of the same age.

Ai was too much like a younger version of Ino for Neji to stand. She brought out his less impatient side very easily which usually resulted in longer, harsher, training sessions; she had yet to learn to shut her mouth. It didn't help that Hikaru would always bait her into and argument or make a sly degrading comment in her direction. Saya, Neji thanked the Hokage, was not as annoying as her two teammates. She kept to herself most of the time; there were times, however, when even Saya's calm personality would get riled up by Ai's comments. When that happened it usually resulted in a fight between the two girls.

"Fine." replied Neji.

Hinata nodded in understanding. "That's great! How's Saya-chan doing? And Hiroyuki-sama? I hear that he and Hanabi-chan are getting along very well."

"Yes, Hanabi-sama has even been sneaking out to meet him." Neji answered with a roll of his eyes. Hiashi hadn't made a move to stop the daily outings between the two; it seemed he found great amusement in Hanabi's antics.

Hinata smiled happily as she bent down to retrieve the chopping board from the lower cupboards. "I glad Hanabi-chan has found love in this arrangement. I was so worried that she would come to hate Hiroyuki-sama."

"I believe Kurosu-sama is smitten with Hanabi-sama too." Neji commented.

"That's good. I'm so happy for Hanabi-chan." Hinata exclaimed with a sigh.

There was a short silence as Hinata began chopping the vegetables with careful precision.

"Hinata-sama---" Neji paused not sure how to continue with his question. He wanted to ask if Uchiha had tried anything yet, but Hinata was still so shy; he didn't want to embarrass his cousin by asking such a private question.

"Yes?" Asked Hinata, her eyes still trained on the knife's movement.

Neji blushed slightly and looked away. "Never mind, Hinata-sama; it was nothing."

Hinata finished slicing the vegetables and poured them into the pot. "Okay then. You can ask me later if you want too but right now I have to go back upstairs and check on Sasuke-kun."

Neji nodded. "I will speak with you later then."

Hinata flashed her cousin a bright smile. "Okay, see you, Neji-nii-san." Neji waved good-bye before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

* * *

"Good morning Sasuke-kun." Hinata greeted nervously.

A lone dark coal-black eye peeked out from beneath the covers. Hinata smiled shyly.

"I brought you some water. Are you hungry? I made some stew downstairs. I'll bring some up for you."

Sasuke pulled the covers down so only his head was visible. "I feel like shit." He muttered.

"You're sick." Hinata replied setting the basin of cool water down. She wet a hand towel and placed it on Sasuke's feverish head. "Here's some lemon water."

Sasuke took the spoonful of water with a frown. He wasn't used to someone taking care of him when got sick, it was... odd but slightly comforting. Especially since Hinata's soft voice didn't aggravate his already pounding head.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" He asked.

Hinata blushed and looked at her feet and twirled her thumbs on her lap as she replied. "I took the day off since you were sick. I didn't want to leave you at home alone."

Sasuke turned his head to hide the blush on his face. He forgot the fact that the fever already gave him a slight coloring on his cheeks. "I'm hungry."

Hinata rose from the bed. "I'll get you some soup then." Before she left she dipped the now warmed cloth in the cool water and put it back on Sasuke's forehead. "Don't get out of bed. I don't want you to strain yourself."

Sasuke gave a noncommittal grunt as Hinata exited.

* * *

Hinata ladled a small bowl full of the steaming stew before setting it on a tray next to a tall glass of orange juice. She didn't have very much experience when it came to tending the sick but so far, in her opinion, she was doing pretty well. "I'm pretty sure vitamin C is good for getting rid of colds." Hinata muttered to herself as she treaded up stairs. "But are you suppose to drink something with soup?" Hinata paused at the top of the stairs her gaze lingering on the glass of orange juice. Maybe she should leave it in the kitchen, after all wouldn't it be weird to drink orange juice with soup?

"Hinata, what are you doing standing there?" Sasuke demanded in a rough voice as he shuffled out of their room.

"Sasuke-kun! You're not supposed to be up!" Hinata cried in surprise.

Sasuke coughed. "You were taking a long time in the kitchen." He replied.

Hinata blushed. "I'm sorry. Here, let me help you back into bed." Hinata set the tray on the ground carefully as to not spill any of the liquids before leading Sasuke back to bed where he belonged.

"You really shouldn't strain yourself so much." Hinata commented lightly after she retrieved his breakfast.

Sasuke shrugged.

"I made you some soup and here's a glass of orange juice." Hinata said placing the soup and drink on the empty bedside table.

Sasuke took the offered spoon shakily. His hand trembled as he dipped the spoon into the soup and lifted it to his mouth. Hinata watched agitatedly.

Sighing Sasuke placed the spoon on to the bed stand. "My head hurts. Can I get some aspirin?" He asked.

Hinata jumped up from the bed as though some invisible fire was suddenly burning her. Medicine! Sick people needed to take medicine! How could she forget that? "S-sure! I'll be right back!" Hinata stuttered as she bolted out of the room.

Sasuke would have rolled his eyes at Hinata's clearly nervous actions but it worsened his headache horribly every time he tried.

* * *

Hinata rummaged through the medicine cabinet in the first floor bathroom before her hand closed around the small bottle of pills that she had previously forgotten about. Shutting the mirror door Hinata turned to leave when her reflection caught her eyes. She still looked plain in her opinion, but there was something slightly different about her.

Her hair was neatly tied at the neck and hung over her shoulder giving an almost motherly air to her appearance. Warm opal colored eyes smiled happily back at her and small supple lips were tweaking themselves into a smile. When did she become so happy in her marriage? Hinata turned her head side-to-side trying to find any sort of flaw but everything that greeted her was filled with joy.

Hinata watched as her pale cheeks colored themselves a bright red before bolting out the bathroom door eager to rid herself of the disturbing image.

* * *

Sasuke was asleep when Hinata returned. Loathed to disturb him Hinata dragged one of those big comfy chairs in their room to the bedside and curled up on it. From her perch she watched Sasuke sleep and slowly, drawn in by his calm features, she began to feel tired herself. Before she knew it she was snoring softly.

Sasuke woke to the feeling of someone brushing his cheek with a feather except it wasn't really a feather; it was Hinata's warm breath. Sasuke brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes before looking at the bedside table were a bowl of cold stew sat alongside a semi-warm cup of orange juice.

His attention turned back to his wife who was sleeping peacefully beside him on a chair that seemed to be much larger than her. Groaning, Sasuke sat up and swung his feet the ground. He gathered the stew and the orange juice onto the discarded tray, swallowed a couple of aspirins from a bottle of medicine he found hiding in the palm of Hinata's open hand, before heading down to the kitchen. A wave of dizziness hit him as he staggered out of the room with the cold food. Sasuke despised being sick.

When he returned, feeling much better now that he was full and the medicine had worked its magic, Sasuke found Hinata in danger of tumbling out of the chair. Sighing to himself Sasuke scooped her up and deposited her on the bed. After a moment of thought Sasuke slipped in next to his sleeping wife.

_Hinata is really pretty_, thought Sasuke. She had perfect clear white skin and her lips seemed very kissable at the moment, moist and slightly apart. Sasuke thought he did a pretty good job at restraining himself for the last few months. It was hard since they were always in such close proximity and Hinata was always doing things that he would have found cute if he were not Sasuke and an Uchiha to boot.

Those sexy types never really appealed to him now that he thought about it and those that he would have probably been attracted too were way to clingy with his looks or too fan girlish for him to stand. Hinata didn't cling to him in a needy-give-me-all-your-attention kind of way, she didn't worship the ground he treads, and she definitely didn't drool all over him like most those other girls. Sasuke was Sasuke to her. He was her arranged husband, someone who she cooked for, slept next too, and took care of. Sasuke knew that Hinata didn't love him, at least not in a romantic way, she probably loved him in a friendly fashion, or at least that was his feelings toward her.

Sasuke moved closer to the sleeping Hinata. He found that he liked the feeling of holding someone in bed. Sasuke wouldn't mind sleeping while hugging Hinata who felt very soft and nice in his arms. Sasuke yawned. He was growing tired again. With a content sigh Sasuke buried his nose in the curve of Hinata's neck. She smelled really nice he thought drowsily, _like tomatoes.

* * *

  
_

Hanabi secretly found Hiroyuki to be really handsome; even handsomer than that stupid Uchiha her sister was forced to marry. Hanabi liked men with long silky hair, that's why Neji was her favorite cousin; he had long hair. Hiroyuki's hair was longer than Neji's and was kept in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. Hanabi found it hot.

Her future husband also had a nice body. There was one time when he had met with her in his Jounin uniform, minus the jacket of course. Hanabi nearly died of blood loss that day. Long hair, nice body, handsome eyes with a killer smile, Hanabi felt very lucky that she was going to marry someone of decent (hot) looks and wondered if Hinata ever felt anything with Hiroyuki.

Did Hinata secretly love Hiroyuki? Did Hiroyuki love her back? What if Hinata gave up her happiness in order for her younger sister to have a chance at a slice of freedom? Did Hiroyuki secretly hate her for taking her sister's place? She and Hinata did look alike except for the fact that Hinata was a little more gifted in some areas that Hanabi had yet to develop.

Hanabi looked down at her chest or lack of one and wondered if she should start stuffing her bras. "Ah! I'm going to die of boredom in here!" Hanabi screamed throwing open the rice paper door. Kain, who had _not_ been sleeping on the job, jumped in surprise.

"Hanabi-sama are you alright?" Asked Kain, yawning.

"No! No! I'm not! I'm tired of looking at those stupid scrolls! I'm tired of being shut in all the time! I'm tired of not being able to go on missions! I'm tired of acting all polite and looking like a stupid china doll! And I'm damn tired of being flat chested! How come Nee-sama gets to be endowed! We come from the same mother! We should have the same chest size!" Hanabi yelled in anger.

Kain raised a brow in surprise. "Well I'm not an expert on things like this but you can always stuff your bra."

Hanabi glared at her protector. "JERK!" With a huff of anger Hanabi turned around, slammed the door of her study room shut, and stalked off to find something hard to hit; like a training post or Neji.

"Hanabi-sama, wait for me!" Kain called out after his charge who raised a single finger in answer. Kain chuckled. For an heiress Hanabi was a little too brash.

* * *

Sakura stood in front of the slightly intimidating-due-to-her-previous-experience-here Uchiha home. She was sure Hinata was home since she had peeked through the kitchen window and found the lights on and a pot of steaming warm soup on the stove. Gathering up her courage Sakura knocked once. There was no answer. Sakura frowned and curiously checked to see if the door was unlocked. It was. The pink haired kunoichi did not pause to wonder if she was welcomed. She didn't know how she ended up deciding to visit Hinata. All she knew was the she was bored, didn't want to visit Ino who kept pestering her about dating, training didn't feel to appealing to her, and she hadn't talked to Hinata in a while.

The first time she entered the home was in a flurry of passion and fear. She did not have the time to admire the wonderful décor Hinata had chosen to liven up the home. Everything had a feeling of warmth to it though Sakura was sure that the relationship between the master and mistress was anything but.

"Hinata-chan?" Sakura called out softly. There was no answer.

Slowly Sakura began ascending the stairs. Hinata had told her that she spent most of her time in the library/study. Sakura didn't know which door led to the library so she randomly checked each room. It just so happened that the first door she opened belong to the young newlyweds.

* * *

_Earlier... _

Sasuke was sleeping peacefully and Hinata was loathed to wake him up. However, she was beginning to feel a bit oppressed by the heat coming off his body and by the fact that Sasuke was holding her. He was holding her like a child would hold a beloved toy.

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, _Sasuke_-_kun_!" Hinata whispered trying to wriggle herself free to no avail. The only reaction she got from her husband was a slight grunt. She whispered his name again but Sasuke was silent. She gave up.

"Nani? Tired already?" Sasuke sighed into her ear as he pulled her closer.

Hinata jolted in surprise. "S-Sasu--" In a fluid motion Sasuke pinned Hinata's arms over her head and flung his body over hers. Hinata lied frozen in surprise. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke smirked. "Hinata-chan." He replied.

Hinata blushed. "W-what are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing." Sasuke answered. "Absolutely nothing." He traced circles on her wrists. "Why, do you want me to do something?"

"Um, get off of me?" Hinata said hopefully.

Sasuke glanced down at Hinata's blushing face and caught her eye. They stared at each other for what, to Hinata, seemed like eternity. "I like where I am." Sasuke answered. "Are you embarrassed, Hinata-chan?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Hinata blushed a deeper shade of red. To tell the truth she was feeling a bit uncomfortable since she didn't understand what Sasuke was trying to do but it didn't bother her to the point that she was beginning to feel claustrophobic. "Why?" she asked instead.

"Hinata-chan can I ask you something?" Sasuke asked letting go of Hinata's arms.

"What?" Hinata said in surprise.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hinata squeaked. Kiss!? Did she hear him right? Sasuke was looking at her with a very serious face. Hinata didn't know what to say. Husbands and wives kissed all the time... right? Hinata tried to pull up a memory of her father kissing her mother and came up with a fuzzy image from when she was young and her mother was still alive. If her father had done it... If her father had been able to do it (Hinata found it very hard to imagine her father doing anything like that) then it was all right for her to do it, right? Right? After all Sasuke was her husband, and husbands had needs, needs that Hinata had not wanted to address until much, much, later. Then she remembered the marriage contracts and the agreements that still had to be met, such as an heir before their anniversary. Well, the first step to conceiving an heir would be to do _that_ and what better way to start than kissing? Hinata nodded to herself. Right, that was right. Neji-nii-san had always condemned kissing since he said it always led to babies, and since Hinata knew that babies were not conceived through kissing but what came after kissing, and Neji-nii-san was always right then the logical place to start was kissing.

She and Sasuke had never kissed before; he had kissed the corner of her mouth, on her cheek, during their wedding ceremony so that didn't count. "O-okay." Hinata meeped.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes trying to see if Hinata really wanted him to proceed. He saw no sign of hesitation so he took the chance to quickly capture her lips with his own, just when Sakura peeked into the room. Neither of the newlyweds noticed the surprised sound coming from the door or the sound of hurried steps. When Sasuke pulled back, soon after, Hinata had reached a new shade of red. Sasuke smirked triumphantly.

"You smell like tomatoes and taste like orange juice." He stated.

Hinata furrowed her brows together in confusion. "O-okay? Can you please get off of me now, Sasuke-kun? Please?"

Sasuke rolled over onto his side of his bed with a grunt. Hinata bit the bottom of her lips. "You know, Sasuke-kun tastes like medicine." She said hiding her smile.

* * *

Sakura could not believe what she saw. Even though she had given up on Sasuke she still found herself feeling jealous and angry with Hinata, she still felt the familiar flutter of her heart when she saw him, the heat the rose in her cheeks, and the shortness of breath. "Damn it Sakura, damn it!" Sakura moaned. She was far, far, away from that horrible house but it felt like Sasuke and Hinata were right in front of her. "I'm so stupid!"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Okay, calm down. Calm down. It's not like they heard you, Sakura. It's not like they heard you." She said pacing. "Right, they didn't hear me." She stopped. "So if they didn't hear me why am I getting so worked up? Hinata-chan won't know and I won't have to explain myself and I don't even see Sasuke-kun anymore so it's not like _that's_ a problem." Sakura growled. "Damn it!" She punched a nearby tree causing the trunk to shatter like glass. " Damn it!"

* * *

"Look Hanabi-sama, I'm sorry." Kain apologized.

Hanabi ignored him.

"Hanabi-sama..."

"Shut up Kain." Hanabi snapped. "I'm trying to think."

Kai pursed his lips together. "May I ask what you're planning?" He asked. Kain was sure that Hanabi's answer wasn't going to be nice.

"Hiroyuki-sama told me about a secret passage way to his room some where around here and I'm trying to find it." Hanabi answered. She stooped to examine the high wall that surrounded the home.

"Hanabi-sama! Even your father will not be able to ignore such an action and as your Protector I must voice my rejection of such an idea." Kain said seriously. Hanabi ignored him. She had found what she was looking for.

"If you don't tell him what I'm about to do then everything will be fine." Hanabi answered as she pushed the wall inwards. "That's an order." Hanabi said with a glare. "If you tell anyone about this I _will_ make your life as horrible as possible.

Kain's face was impassive. "Hai, Hanabi-sama, as you wish." He said bowing. "I will wait for you in the shadows."

Kain watched as Hanabi ducked into the secret passage way and slid the wall closed behind her. He was under orders to protect her to the best of his abilities and beyond but there was no contract saying what his _duties_ actually were. Kain knew that he had to protect the new heiress from her enemies and that it was his job to make sure that her food wasn't poisoned or something, alongside seeing to her every whim. What Kain wanted to know was whether or not allowing his charge to sneak into her fiancée's room was a violation of his duties. He had to protect her but he also had to follow her orders. They really should have written a worker's guide for this. Sighing, Kain disappeared into the growing darkness. It was not his place to question his mistress he decided.

* * *

Ino was having a rather nice nap. She was dreaming about flowers raining from the sky and all the men, well the good-looking ones anyway, were all vying for her attention. It was a nice dream one that she didn't ever want to wake from but some higher being had some other ideas for her.

"I-Ino! It's impossible for me after all!" Sakura cried. The bell of the flower shop jangled annoyingly.

"Damn it forehead girl, I was having a good dream too." Ino growled from behind the counter. She threw her arms over her head in hope that Sakura would get the idea and leave her alone.

"I just saw Hinata-chan and Sasuke-kun KISS!" Sakura whispered into Ino's ear.

Ino jumped from her seat. "What? Where did you see that?" Ino demanded.

"At their home!" Sakura said her voice raised a pitch. "I mean I wasn't trying to walk in on them or anything. I thought that Sasuke-kun was out on a mission or something cause Hinata-chan is always telling me that he doesn't get home until the evening so I decided to visit her but I couldn't find her in the living room or kitchen so I thought that she was n the study room cause Hinata-chan told me that she spent most of her time there going over bills and things like that except I didn't know where the study room was so I decided to peek into each room until I found it! It just so happened that the first room I looked into was Hinata-chan's bedroom! She was in there with Sasuke-kun on the bed and he was on top of her and then they kissed so I ran out of the house and came here!"

"Breath Sakura! Breath! Damn it I said breathe!" Ino yelled as she took Sakura by the shoulder and started to shake the pink hair girl. "What the hell did you think you were doing barging into someone's home without calling them first? You're just setting yourself up again! Okay! I know what we have to do now! C'mon let's call TenTen we're going to find you a boyfriend! I don't give a damn if you're ready or not or if it's going to be unfair for the poor guy we're choosing for you! You're going to get out and date like you're about to die whether you like it or not!"

"Wait! Ino! Baka-Ino! I said WAIT! Let me go! Let me go!" Sakura cried as Ino dragged her out of the shop.

Kiba was minding his own business when a raging Ino dragging an equally angry Sakura grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the Yamanaka's flower shop with the order of "Watch the shop dog boy and if I come back and find it in shambles I will castrate you and Akamaru!" He had no choice but to obey. Ino was damn scary when she was angry.

* * *

**KairaKi: **_Yay~! Hinata and Sasuke-kun kissed, Hanabi-chan's being a bad girl, and Sakura's going through Sasuke-kun withdrawal. Hahah. Can you imagine Sasuke getting sick and having Hinata take care of him? This is one of the most overused scenes, I believe, when it comes to SasuHina. I was trying to make it unique, something not done before. Please tell me how I did! Not only did we get to see Hinata working hard to fulfill one of her duties as a wife (and I mean taking care of her husband when he's sick and not anything else, at least not yet), but we got to see Sasuke's feelings for Hinata and Hinata's feelings for Sasuke! I know some of you have been crying for some developementw with Sasuke and Hinata's relationship, I hope this is good enough for now. _

_As expected, Sakura isn't completely over Sasuke but she's on her way! I know it's impossible for someone to just completely stop loving someone cold-turkey, so I decided to give Sakura a bit of shock therapy. Yes, I know, it's cruel for her to witness something like that yada-yada-ya. I really like Ino here. I think I mentioned this before, but Ino's personality, to me, is like the wind. She breezes in when she pleases and doesn't care about the mess she leaves behind. Anyways, besides getting a glimpse of Hinata's relationship we get to see Hanabi's feelings for Hiroyuki! She's really insecure when it comes to him. She thinks that Hiroyuki likes Hinata more than her, which is not the case. Poor Kain! He doesn't know what to do with Hanabi anymore! I feel sorry for him. He has to take care of such a strong headed girl. I also feel sorry for Hiroyuki who is actually in love with her. I know who wears the pants in this relationship. _

_This chapter took a while mostly due to the fact that I wasn't sure if I should insert the Sakura and Hanabi scene. And when I decided I did want them I had to figure out where to place them. As you can tell I don't like placing things in chronological order. First comes Hinata and Sasuke, followed by Hanabi's first scene, then both of Sakura's scenes, then, chronologically, should end with Hanabi sneaking into Hiroyuki's bedroom. Is it confusing the way I place the scenes? Please tell me if you are confused while reading the story!_

_Thanks to all those who reviewed/read/favorited/alerted this story!  
_

_**R&R**  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 6: Dream of **G**uilty Pleasures: Determination and Surprise

* * *

  
_

It seemed to Hinata that ever since she had allowed her husband to steal a kiss from her he had become a bit more _affectionate_. It didn't really bother Hinata as she had always dreamed of having a husband that was sweet and kind to her (even at a young age she knew that she would be unable to choose her groom) but it was rather unnerving. Sasuke knew his boundaries and didn't stray to far from them; the only time he broke away was when Hinata initiated the contact. Yes, Hinata had actually kissed Sasuke without him asking for permission. In fact she had kissed him in public, where all eyes were still on them, without being forced.

Hinata didn't know why she did it only that it felt right. Sasuke had walked her to school just like every other morning when he wasn't making up for lack of sleep and had bade her farewell when she rather impulsively (it was too much like those scenes in those books Ino made her read) kissed him. She kissed him and not on the cheeks either but on the lips, in front of a crowd of people.

Ino had not let her alone for the rest of the day but that had its perks so Hinata didn't really mind her friend's probing questions. The hyper blond kept Hinata safe from gossiping crowds.

Hinata didn't know what she was doing.

Oh, and did she mention that after she had pulled away blushing and stuttering out excuses Sasuke gently grabbed her by the chin and ravaged her mouth? Well he did and he had flicked her forehead too saying something along the lines of having a nice day or don't push herself to hard. Her brain was too busy trying to process what had happened to register his words.

This was the beginning of a rather tumultuous sequence of events.

* * *

Kurenai was not a bit surprised by Hinata's sudden marriage to Uchiha Sasuke (she was one of the few people whom Hinata had told about the contract she had signed to ensure Hanabi's freedom from the cursed seal). Such actions from Hinata were not surprising to the genjutsu user anymore. Kurenai knew that it was only a matter of time for Hinata to choose a course of action regarding her sister. After all she had witnessed the beginning--- she was the cause of the beginning-- that lead to Hinata's marriage to Kakashi's traitor student.

It was all her fault that Hinata was in her current situation, after all it had all begun that one cold winter day...

_Kurenai was overseeing her team's training that afternoon. Snow was falling heavily from the sky coating Konoha in a thick blanket of white. It was during extreme weather like today that she brought her team out to the edges of Konoha for special training. Under her orders Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were dressed in dull black and white clothing. In the flurry of snow even she found it hard to make out their figures. Kiba was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his rough voice carried in the wind. Shino was standing stock still as he observed each flake of ice touching down. And Hinata was fiddling with her fingers her eyes darting from side to side once in a while. Back then Kurenai didn't notice the air of nervousness and fear surrounding the girl. She was too intent on the lesson._

_She had forgotten that Hinata's mother had died during a similar circumstance. _

_Kurenai gave the single, a lone red flare in the snow, and the trio disappeared to fulfill their separate tasks. Not soon after she sent her team out the weather worsened. Kurenai frowned. She had been told that the snowfall would continue soft and gentle all day. Night was falling fast and the dark clouds hid the moon, her only available source of light so far out from the village centre. Kurenai, feeling that the safety of her students were more important than the completion of the task, lit a firework. It burst in the sky a show of bright red sparks illuminating the falling snow an ominous red. _

_A few minutes later Kurenai was able to make out Shino crossing the field with Kiba following. Akamaru led them through the heavy snowdrift. Hinata was nowhere to be seen. She sent Kiba and Shino home first. The two were reluctant to leave without first making sure of Hinata's safety but Kurenai was adamant. She didn't know how long she stood there shivering in the cold as snow began piling on top of her lithe form. She lit another flare and watched as it exploded in the sky. Was the snow to thick for Hinata to see? Kurenai doubted it. With the Byakugan, even with Hinata's level of Byakugan, Kurenai was sure that Hinata would be able to notice the flares. _

_By now Kurenai was worrying. She knew better than to just stand and wait, Hinata could have hurt herself. She mentally berated herself for sending Kiba and Shino back without asking them to inform Neji of the situation. It was lucky for her that her students were worried enough to stop by the Hyuuga compound in search of said shinobi. He appeared before Kurenai like a saviour, a knight in shining armor. _

_Together they scoured the surrounding forest for Hinata. They found her standing dazed and cold by an old tree somewhere deep, deep in the forest. Snow hardly reached were Hinata was, but every once in a while a torrent of snow would fall to the ground when it became too heavy for tree branches to support its weight. Kurenai recognized the place as where Hinata's mother had been found dead. _

_Most people believed that Hinata's mother died in her home, a peaceful death surrounded by her family, but in truth the Hyuuga matriarch had perished in the cold when a freak snowstorm hit Konoha all those years ago. Kurenai had forgotten that the location of Hinata's mother's death was so near. How could she have forgotten? Neji gently eased Hinata from her trance. He nodded once to Kurenai before scooping the silent Hinata into his arms and leaping away. How could she have forgotten such an important detail about Hinata?_

_Breaking from her reverie Kurenai rushed to follow Neji. She wanted to make sure Hinata was all right. _

_Hiashi greeted them at the compound gates. His face was stern and upon seeing his daughter something Kurenai linked to disgust (or was it pity?) flit across his face. Kurenai bowed respectively. She turned to leave. She hadn't gotten far when she heard raised voices lifted by the bitter wind. Confused Kurenai turned around. Hinata had woken from her daze and was arguing with her father. Her stance was wobbly and she held onto Neji's arm for support. Hiashi said something to Hinata and Neji replied back. Kurenai could make out Hiashi's angry face as he stared at his nephew. Neji glared back. Kurenai knew what was going to happen even before Hinata's horrified gasp. _

Kurenai shook the memory from her mind. The image didn't have any place in her current situation. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan, you want me to what?" She asked again sure that she hadn't heard correctly the first time.

Hinata blushed, "Nothing! It was nothing, Sensei." She cried embarrassed.

Kurenai frowned. "It obviously isn't nothing." Kurenai said. "Tell me what's wrong Hinata-chan. I'll do what ever I can to help you."

Hinata looked around. They were at the training grounds and were by no means alone. Hinata leaned over to her former teacher and whispered, embarrassed, her request.

Kurenai wasn't surprised at Hinata's sudden marriage, but she was surprised at Hinata's request. If she had known the look on her face resembled what Neji looked like when Hinata asked the same question years ago she would have laughed at the sheer impossibility of it. Surely Hinata would be smart enough to avoid such topics with her stick-in-the-ass cousin Neji. Kurenai, finally getting over her surprised took hold of Hinata's hand. Her smile was kind and motherly. "Hinata-chan," she started. "Having sex is something that you learn through action. You can read as many books on the topic, watch as many movies, but in the end they won't be of help to you in the bedroom. If you're looking to pushing your relationship with Sasuke-kun to the next level then you have to do it on your own. Seeking guidance from others will either force you two apart or cause a misunderstanding. Approach him with your feelings, not the feelings of others." She told Hinata sagely.

Hinata looked at Kurenai with wide adoring eyes. It was such wise advice! "But what if I don't know what I should do?" She asked. "It's-- We don't talk a lot. Well, we do, a little. Sometimes. Mostly about things that we need to do around the compound and about dinner dates and things like that. " Hinata sighed. Looking back at the last few months of her marriage she could not recall a decent conversation with Sasuke. She learned things about him through observation and trial and error. Hinata wasn't even sure if Sasuke knew her favorite snack or sweet! (She knew his, but only stumbled on this tidbit of information accidentally).

"You know," Kurenai started, "Sometimes the best relationships are the ones where you can convey how you're feeling to the one you love without words." Kurenai patted her stomach fondly. It was flat, no longer round, but from time to time she would glance down and remember the feeling of knowing that Asuma was gone, but still alive at the same time.

Hinata wanted to dispute the statement, but Kurenai began talking again.

"Hinata-chan, how do you feel when you're around Sasuke?" Kurenai asked.

Hinata looked at her hands. The soft thudding of fists and weapons hitting their intended target were distracting in her mind. "Well, I don't know, really." She said. "It feels like being around Sasuke-kun." Hinata mumbled.

Kurenai raised a brow and leaned forward, interested. "Do you feel happy when you're near him? Sad? Afraid?" She probed.

Hinata glanced at a patch of grass that seemed a bit taller than the rest of its peers in the surrounding area. "I don't feel afraid of Sasuke-kun! He's not scary at all!" Hinata said defending her husband.

Kurenai was surprised at the outburst. So, Hinata didn't find Sasuke scary. This was interesting. "Why don't you think he's scary?" Kurenai couldn't help but ask.

Hinata didn't look up at Kurenai. She mumbled something under her breath.

"What? Hinata-chan, you're going to have to speak up." Kurenai said.

Hinata lowered her head. Her long hair fell from her shoulders, framing her pale face. "Sasuke-kun isn't scary because, because, because he's always nice to me and doesn't do things without asking and always helps with the chores." Hinata whispered.

"I see," Kurenai mused. "What do you mean by he doesn't do things without asking?"

Hinata blushed. Kurenai could practically see her former student shrinking before her eyes. "He asked me if he could kiss me." Hinata meeped.

It took a while for the statement to reach Kurenai's shocked brain.

"Ah! B-b-but Sasuke-kun is my husband and doing things like that is okay! I mean he didn't really have to ask me, but he did any ways! That made me kinda happy. So you see, Sasuke-kun is really nice, you don't have to worry about him taking advantage of me! Really, Kurenai-sensei, Sasuke-kun even washes the dishes without me asking him and he makes sure he's available on the days I go out grocery shopping!" Hinata blabbered.

Kurenai wanted to tell Hinata that she was just shocked that Sasuke had asked for permission before kissing Hinata. It wasn't something that Kurenai could see Sasuke doing-- it wasn't in his character! "I see, he sounds like a good husband. I'm happy for you, Hinata-chan." Kurenai opted to say instead.

Hinata smiled a dazzling smile. "Yes! Sasuke-kun is a really good husband! Thank you for your time Kurenai-sensei! I have to be going now!" Hinata bowed away.

Kurenai shook her head. Sasuke, a good husband. It was too hard to imagine.

* * *

Hinata wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She could not believe that she blurted out something so embarrassing to Kurenai. It was true that she thought Sasuke was a good husband, but that was something she wanted to keep to herself! "Ah mou! I don't know what to do now!" Hinata cried. She was at home preparing dinner.

Hinata shook her head and sighed. She focused her mind on the things she would have to accomplish tomorrow. Check on the renovations, walk by the farm, grade some papers, prepare the skills test for her class, stop by the Hyuuga compound, check up on Hanabi, speak to her father, go over the bills, double check all the contracts...

"Hinata."

Hinata jumped in surprise.

Sasuke was leaning casually against the door frame of the kitchen and was looked a bit amused by her action. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Hinata shook her head. "Nothing, I was just going over my schedule for tomorrow." Hinata replied. "Do you need something, Sasuke-kun? Dinner will be ready soon."

"No, I just came to inform you that I'll be leaving in two weeks for a 'S' rank mission." Sasuke pushed himself off the door frame. "I don't want you to schedule any activities for me the week before I leave."

Hinata nodded. The rice cooker beeped, signaling that its contents were done. The fish simmered in their pan. "I see. How long will you be gone?" Hinata saw a flash of tension pass over Sasuke's face.

"Two month at the least." Sasuke said before turning and leaving Hinata to finish in shocked silence cooking dinner.

Two months. It was already near the end of November, so Sasuke would be back by February, or if the situation changed, March. If Sasuke were to be severely injured then all her plans would most likely be set back for another two months. Hinata frowned. There were too many unknown factors that would affect their marriage contract; if Sasuke died (Hinata was positive Sasuke would not die) and she had no heir to the Uchiha name, then the marriage contract would be nullified and she would have to marry Hiroyuki and Hanabi would have to get sealed.

Hinata did not want that, but what could she do?

Sasuke was worried about the same thing she was, that much Hinata could see, but he wasn't going to act on his whims. If anything Sasuke was too gentlemanly-- too nice-- to her. Hinata appreciated it, but they had a contract to fulfill and neither of them was willing to make the first move. Hinata carefully set the plates and eating utensils on the table.

Sasuke didn't want to scare her and that meant he definitively won't force her to do anything until she had prepared herself for it. Hinata paused. Was she ready to fully surrender herself to Sasuke? Her future, as well as Hanabi's future, rested in the simple unspoken words.

Hinata did not want to force her sister into a life where bitterness and anger reigned. She was ready to start a family with Sasuke. All she had to do now was convince Sasuke she wasn't afraid. The hard part would be convincing herself she wasn't afraid.

Hinata called for Sasuke to come down to dinner.

She hoped that by the end of the meal she would have enough courage to approach him about the topic.

* * *

Earlier that day Naruto had chosen to stalk Sasuke as he went about his ninja duties. This annoyed Sasuke to no end. It wouldn't have bothered Sasuke as much if he had no idea he was being followed, or if the person following him actually tried to mask their presence, but Naruto did none of those things. Sasuke wasn't even sure how the idiot became such an important shinobi! He had no sense of stealth at all!

Sasuke was determined to ignore the stupid blond, but he had a limited amount patience already stretched thin to the point of breaking.

"Okay, bastard, you tell me why you're following me, and I won't slit your throat." Sasuke growled. He pushed the kunai so that a trail of blood welled at the tip of his weapon.

Naruto was not fazed. He looked a bit dejected, but other than that it seemed he didn't care that Sasuke could kill him before he could even utter a sound. "I heard you kissed Hinata-chan."

Sasuke's face remained impassive but inside there were giant question marks floating around. Why did Naruto care if he kissed Hinata? She was Sasuke's wife, not the baka Naruto's!

Naruto, seeing that Sasuke was not about to answer quickly filled in the silence. "Sakura-chan was all uptight about it."

Of course, Sakura. It always turned back to Sakura in the end.

"Aren't you going to talk to her?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke withdrew his weapon, wiped off the blood, and returned it to it's rightful place. "I don't have any reason why I should speak with her. She needs to get over the fact that I'm married."

"It's not easy when she's been in love with you since we were kids!" Naruto said in defense for his pink haired love. Well, he wasn't sure if he loved her anymore. At one point in his life he had a crush on her, a really huge ass crush, but was that love? He didn't know.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked off the bat. "Aren't you in love with her? Why don't you use the chance to swoop in an have her fall in love with you?" He would have to wash his mouth out later.

Naruto paused mid-step. "I don't know." He confessed.

Sasuke turned around and faced the blond with sudden interest. "You've been avoiding her." He stated.

Naruto jumped in surprise. "How did you know that?!" He demanded angrily.

"Your reaction just now. Baka, what kind of ninja are you?" Scoffed Sasuke. "I don't care what happens between you and Sakura, as long as you don't drag me into it. I'm already at the point of breaking anyways." He added under his breath.

Naruto caught the annoyed look that flitted across Sasuke's face. "Having trouble with Hinata?" He asked teasingly.

Sasuke punched him, sending him flying down the street. Ignoring the semi-shocked look from the people around him, Sasuke continued on his way.

"BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR! HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU! DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Naruto yelled angrily. "BASTARD!"

Yes, his patience was definitely at its breaking point.

* * *

Dinner was a nerve wracking affair for Hinata though she kept it under tight wraps. She picked up Sasuke's agitation almost immediately as he sat down and did not want to make him feel even more agitated than he already was.

"What plans do we have this week?" Sasuke asked roughly. He was glaring at his rice. Blandly Hinata wondered why.

"Ah, nothing important. We just need to check up on the rebuilding and visit the civilian farmers working on our land."

Sasuke grunted and remained silent for the remainder of dinner. "I have some reports to look over." He muttered before getting up and stalking out. Hinata let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding back. She leaned forward until her forehead rested against the smoothness of the table and sighed. Trying to lose her virginity to her husband was harder than it seemed.

Hinata washed the dishes quickly before taking a short shower. Now she was standing in their bedroom, her hair still slightly wet, staring at her reflection in the mirror hidden in their closet. They had to start tonight. If not, then when? It took more than one try and if she procrastinated any longer Hanabi's future would be at stake. She would do it. She would not regret it. But she better hurry, or else to short fit of courage would pass and she would find herself back in the Hyuuga compound; a place she had no wish to return to.

Sasuke was sitting in the living room reviewing some reports when Hinata boldly decided to join him. Sasuke was handsome, Hinata admitted. He was graceful, and confident while still remaining cool and aloof to the world around him.

"Is there something you need, Hinata?" Sasuke asked after a brief silence.

Hinata shifted uneasily in her seat. Sasuke was looking at her in that weird way of his again. " I wanted to talk to you about...something." She was trying hard not to fidget.

"What is it?" Sasuke put the reports down and reclined onto the sofa. He could practically smell his wife's nerves being fried.

"I, I think it's best if we tried today, after all you're leaving for a mission soon and I know that we should have, you should have some sort of guarantee to come back too!" Hinata mumbled.

Sasuke looked at Hinata through half lidded eyes. "You think I'm suicidal?"

Hinata blushed furiously. "No!" She cried defensively. " I think, I think, I think we should try to conceive an heir tonight!"

The utterly look of surprise on Sasuke's face was pure gold. But Hinata didn't have time to enjoy the priceless look because she was too mortified to look at him straight in the eye.

Sasuke composed himself quickly. "Hinata," He ran a hand through his hair. "You're still afraid of me."

The statement caught Hinata off guard. She had expected him to either agree or straight out refuse. Was she still afraid of him? Hinata didn't know what to say; in the months she had been married to Sasuke she had learned something about her husband: Uchiha Sasuke was not as scary as he seemed. Sure there were times when Hinata felt that Sasuke was effectively suffocating her and forcing her into a corner, but Hinata hadn't felt scared since the initial 'first month'. You could say that Hinata had finally learned to read her husband's actions, some of them any ways.

"Ah... I'm not scared of Sasuke-kun because, because, I..." Hinata bit her lip. She what? She didn't love him. There was no chemistry between them they were just together. So what was the feeling deep in her chest the welled up every time they went out together, when they spent time together?

Hinata looked straight into Sasuke's eyes, the emotion behind her opal colored gaze was almost defiant. "I'm not scare of Sasuke-kun because I trust you." With that Hinata leaned over the coffee table and gently planted her lips on his.

Sasuke's hand twitched, as though reaching for his kunai pouch. When Hinata finally pulled away, it was only a second later; he gave her a wary glare. Hinata blushed and looked away. "Alright, we'll have it _your_ way tonight." He said.

"My way?" Hinata asked slightly confused. "What do you mean by my way?"

* * *

Oh gods, she wasn't a virgin anymore. Hinata blushed heavily. Did they know? She glanced at her fellow peers. Some were chatting happily, others were busy grading papers, a few were asleep at their desks. They didn't seem to know that she had done it. What if they find out? Hinata wanted to slap herself. Of course they'll find out at some point! It would be impossible for them not to find out when she announces her pregnancy to her father. Her hand found its way to the flat of her stomach. Was that a kick she felt? Wait, that was impossible. Hinata sighed. At least she wasn't sore any more.

* * *

To say Naruto wasn't suspicious when his friend came into the Hokage's office with a saunter would be an understatement. He could be stupid, but he wasn't that dim not to notice the difference in Sasuke. He bet that if he asked the dark haired man about Hinata, he wouldn't punch him again. Of course, he didn't want to chance it, but he knew. It was like a sixth sense.

The room was dead silent as Tsunade glanced up at the masked shinobi before her. "Your mission has been moved up, prepare to leave by dawn." She said gravely. "It is of the utmost importance that you accomplish this mission quickly and efficiently, for the sake of Konoha." Her eyes landed on each one of the ANBU members before continuing on. "This is a top secret mission. Do not inform any one about where you are headed. You'll receive your tasks once you leave Konoha. That is all, dismissed."

"Hai! Tsunade-sama!" And in a flash her office was empty again.

She glanced down at the note she clutched tightly in her hand. If the information was true then Konoha was going to be in a state of turmoil. Stupid Jiraiya, forcing the task of becoming the new Hokage into her hands, before she died she would take him with her too. "I need a drink." Muttered Tsunade. "Lots of drinks."

* * *

After the classes Hinata made her way through the Uchiha district. Many people came up to greet her and request that she dine with them but she was saved the chance of declining the offers when Ichiru came tumbling down the road shouting.

"Out of the way, out of the way you! Hinata-sama has come to check the progress of the rebuilding! Don't force her to do anything!" A burly man of a towering six feet eight inches pushed past the twittering group of women and a few men. The group sighed, paid their respects to Hinata and once more pushed their requests before scattering.

Hinata smiled up at the big man. "Thank you Ichiru-san but it wasn't really necessary." She said.

Ichiru shrugged. "It was for me. Those old hags keep coming around to feed my men making them fat and lazy. If I didn't know any better than I'd think they were buttering us up for a bonfire night." Ichiru laughed loudly at his own joke. "Any ways I know that you're here to see how work is coming along."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, just a quick overview please. I still have dinner to make and Sasuke-kun is coming home early today."

"Very well," Ichiru said. "I'll show you what we've done so far." The tall man led Hinata down a small alleyway.

"Some of the houses we found were un-salvageable so we've marked them for another group to come tear it down and rebuild. I'll be handing in the sheet with all the monetary calculations later today when we've surveyed the other homes in the area for your approval before contracting another group to come in." Ichiru glanced down at the small woman who nodded her consent before continuing on. "Those that are only slightly damaged are already beginning to see repairs. A few houses have been finished but the others surrounding them are in either need of demolition or toxin removal."

"Are those the houses that are done?" Hinata asked pointing to a row of glistening buildings. Ichiru nodded. "I would like to see the inside, if that is possible." Hinata requested.

"Of course, of course. This is your land after all Hinata-sama." Ichiru complied. "The smell of chemicals still linger so prepare yourself."

Hinata covered her nose with her sleeve. The inside of the house was completely bare. The once dirtied walls had been scrubbed to a grayish color waiting to be repainted. The wooden floors had been scrubbed and sanded until it shone bright in the sunlight and in some places Hinata could see that the boards had been completely replaced. Hinata strolled through each room eyeing inconspicuous places and ignoring those spots that seemed grayer than the surrounding area. New doors were needed for most of the rooms and some windows needed to be fixed but other than that Hinata found the job well done. She made her thoughts known to Ichiru.

"If the other two homes are as thorough as this one I am happy." Hinata said. "I trust your crew worked as hard on the other two." Hinata gave the man a dazzling smile. "I would love to see more of the work being done but I really must get dinner ready soon." Her eyes darted to the position of the sun. It was already past the noon mark allowing Hinata to deduce that it was close to five 'o clock

"No apologies needed. As the lady of this manor I understand the pressing needs that come with your duty. Come check again in two days time when we will begin renovations." Ichiru bowed. Hinata agreed and set a time for meeting before leaving for home.

* * *

Sasuke returned home just after Hinata did. She was washing some vegetables when her husband approached her. Hinata squealed in surprise when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and lift her up.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asked her voice quivering.

"Forget dinner." He muttered into her hair sending shivers down her spine.

Hinata was confused. "You're not hungry?" She questioned. She tried to squirm out of his grip but Sasuke held on tight.

"I am, but not for food."

Big question marks floated around her head. "H-huh?" She yelped when Sasuke suddenly lifted her, threw her over his shoulder, and proceeded up the stairs. "W-wait! What? Sasuke-kun?" Hinata didn't bother trying to escape. Sasuke would catch her anyways. "What are you doing?" She asked, almost fearfully.

Sasuke threw her on the bed and followed in suite.

"W-wait!" Hinata held up her hands. "Ah, um, if we're going to do that can you close the curtains and turn off the lights?" Hinata asked blushing.

Sasuke buried his head in the side of her neck and laughed. "It would have been more fun if you protested, you know." He said. "You could at least hit me or something, act like you don't want it."

Hinata blushed. "Are you a masochist?" She asked confused. "I don't think I can do those things."

Sasuke pulled himself on top of her. "I am not a masochist." He replied sternly. "Do you really want to do it?"

Hinata stared back, color rushed into her cheeks. "If I didn't I would certainly not have let you carry me all the way up here."

Sasuke smirked. He threw himself off the bed and turned off the lights. "You're a stubborn one aren't you? You make a good Uchiha."

Hinata didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but it didn't seem to matter as Sasuke began exploring her body.

When she woke up the next morning, nude and slightly sore, Sasuke was no where to be found. Fear rush into the pit of her stomach. Throwing on a robe Hinata descended the stairs in search of her missing husband. On the dinner table Hinata found breakfast, in need of reheating, and a note that read:

_Left on mission early. Be back soon. Breakfast on the table for you._

_SASUKE_

Hinata sighed. Did he want to give her a heart attack, leaving in the middle of the night like that? But despite her annoyance of finding herself alone in the morning Hinata couldn't help but smile at her husband's sweet gesture.

* * *

Sakura was looking for Naruto, having not seen him for the last few weeks ( or was it months?). She had spotted Kiba and was going to over to him and ask if he had seen Naruto but when he caught sight of her he had immediately turn in the opposite direction and ran. How rude. It wasn't like she was the one who threatened to castrate him.

"Good morning Sakura-san." Hinata greeted sweetly. "Are you looking for someone?"

Sakura jumped in surprise. "Hinata-chan! Good morning! Yeah, I'm looking for Naruto, have you seen him?" She asked.

Hinata shook her head, her hair swayed softly in the wind and Sakura was struck by how beautifully Hinata had become. "No, I think he's on a mission. Sasuke mentioned something about it a while ago. I don't believe he's back yet."

"Oh." Sakura replied deflated. Naruto always told her when he was leaving on missions, why hadn't he told her about this one then? Even Hinata knew, granted it was in a round about way, but she knew!

"Ah, I have to be going to now! I'll see you around, Sakura-san." Hinata said with a wave.

"Bye!" Sakura waved back. She'll go ask Tsunade when Naruto would be back.

_

* * *

Hinata could feel her body quivering with need and fear. She had never voluntarily let anyone come this close to her before and _liked_ it. It was an adrenaline rushing experience She gasped and giggled when ever he touched a sensitive point on her body. _

_She squealed his name, her voice breathless._

_Sasuke moaned her name in return._

_Their room was pitch black under Hinata's request. She felt too awkward when she could see her husband doing all those pleasurable things to her body, and when he could see how much his attentions affected her. The darkness didn't bother Sasuke, he rather liked it. (It gave him an excuse for his hands to wander)._

_Sasuke leaned down and whispered something to Hinata. He licked her earlobe, causing Hinata to clutch onto him tighter. She murmured something in return. She could practically feel her face heating up. Sasuke smirked in the darkness. He ran his hands up and down her side. Hinata laughed brightly. She squirmed under him. _

_It wasn't painful, not this time, but Sasuke remained gentle. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck. He bent down to kiss her lips but missed and kissed her throat instead. Hinata laughed. Sasuke growled something onto her skin, sending shivers down her spine...._

* * *

Hinata snapped out of her daze. Her mind had been drifting again, as it had for the past week. She smacked her head against her desk. Sasuke had already left for mission so why were her thoughts reverting back to _that_? So she had unexpectedly enjoyed it but that was a set primal instinct... right? Her hand found a way to her stomach. She had no way of knowing, not this early.

"Hinata-chan, are you alright?" Ino asked semi-worried. Hinata had been repeatedly hitting her head on her desk for the past minute. "Did something happen?"

Hinata held back a blush. She was not thinking. She was not thinking. She was not thinking. "I'm fine Ino-san." Hinata replied.

Ino grinned. She leaned over her desk, her blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Are you missing your hubby?" She teased.

Hinata could not hold it back any more. A massive blush engulfed her face. She was sure the last time she felt so embarrassed was when a random guy confessed to her and she had ran away. She didn't even know him! How was she suppose to answer? Hinata covered her face with her hands. Why did Ino have to torture her now of all times?

"Oh hoh! Hinata-chan is so cute, ah, to have some one to worry about." Ino sighed dreamily. "Maa, maybe later. I'm still young and free! Good luck Hinata-chan, I'm sure Sasuke-kun is doing just fine! You should worry more about those papers you've been grading for half-an-hour and still haven't finished even though you have only twenty or so students and they're all one in a half pages each." Ino said smiling. "I have some extra students to watch over today so I'll be going first!" Ino wagged her fingers good bye. Hinata returned it with a small smile.

It was just like Ino to start something and whirl out before anything could be said or done.

"_Are you missing your hubby?" _

Ino's question rang in her mind.

Did she miss Sasuke?

"..."

"..."

"..."

Hinata pounded her head on the table again. Maybe an answer will fall out of her head if she hit it enough.

* * *


End file.
